ITV is re-entering the UK Pay TV arena after inking a deal with British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB) to launch HD channels of ITV2, ITV3 and ITV4 on the Sky satellite subscription platform, as part of a 5-year strategy to explore new income streams and reduce reliance on traditional advertising revenues.
Sky+HD subscribers will be able to watch ITV2 HD from October onwards (coinciding with the beginning of X-Factor/ Xtra Factor), with ITV3 HD and ITV4 HD scheduled to follow shortly. Here’s a list of the TV programmes due to be broadcast in high-definition on these channels:
- ITV2 HD: The Xtra Factor, Britain’s Got More Talent, Secret Diary Of A Call Girl (Series 3), Gossip Girl, I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here Now!;
- ITV3 HD: Marple, Lewis, Joanna Lumley’s Nile, Martin Clunes: Islands Of Britain;
- ITV4 HD: Uefa Europa League football, Tour de France, and some films.
ITV’s previous foray into the Pay TV market was nothing short of a failure: ONdigital was launched by Carlton Communications and Granada PLC in 1998, rebranded as ITV Digital in 2001, and eventually went into administration in 2002. But ITV chief executive Adam Crozier was quick to stress that today’s announced high-def broadcast deal with Sky was necessary for ITV’s future growth, as the company has until now been slow to come to terms with the popularity of internet TV and the sustained growth of Pay TV subscription services.
Despite reporting a pre-tax profit of £97 million for the first six months of this year on the back of increased advertising in conjunction with the FIFA World Cup 2010, Mr Crozier outlined a 5-year Transformation Plan to deliver content across more platforms and countries, and most importantly to remodel the underlying culture and economics of the company so that it becomes less dependent on TV advertising as a revenue source. The £105 million loss ITV posted during the first half of last year as a result of a slump in advertising due to the economic recession probably played a part in this shift in strategic objectives.
While ITV is also looking into the possibility of offering its ITV2 HD, ITV3 HD and ITV4 HD channels on the Virgin Media cable subscription platform, its deal with Sky is exclusive among satellite network providers. This means that these high-definition channels will not be available on Freesat, even though ITV has played a part in launching and funding the free-to-air satellite TV service. Along with the arrival of Freeview HD, the persistent paucity of HD channels may mark the beginning of the end for Freesat.
will not be available on Freesat even though ITV has played a part in launching and funding the free-to-air satellite TV service
itv your taking the piss with this one why no itv2 hd for freesat
freesat is going down hill fast
FreeSat was doomed from the start.
So Sky is still trying to ruin British television – Most of my friends have dumped Sky and gone to FreeSat. Who cares about HD, come to that who cares about ITV.
I am absolutely disgusted that after going to the trouble and expense of buying a Freesat HD box ITV refuse to put their HD channels on it. At the launch of the HD Freesat HD. ITV and the BBC refused to let SKY have their HD channels now they have completely turned round and refuse to let Freesat Viewers have Their HD channels. What changed ITV, BBC ?
Why have Sky always got the channels before everyone else? I dont have freesat or freeview, I have Virgin Media so when are they going to come on virgin media?
Stop letting Sky get everything first, it should be even, everyone should get it at the same time!!!
I also think it is disgusting that ITV are not putting their HD channels on Freesat. Sky have far to much control over UK TV and its time it was stopped
What’s on ITV 2,3&4 worth watching, nothing. Just sad that more of the Discovery/ History channels aren’t on Freesat. Do freesat pay Sky for the use of Astra satellite surly they could just pull the plug.
I am absolutely disgusted with itv having gone to the expence of buying a freesat box to watch free to air bbc and itv channels when they become available what do itv do,they sell out to sky with itv4 hd only available to sky suscribers.whats going on i thought this was bbc and itv stand against pay to view tv.is this the beggining of the end for freesat ,i feel cheated what have you got to say itv
Anyone seen “Tomorrow Never Dies”? Need I say anymore.
LEFT SKY A FEW MONTHS AGO TO GO WITH FREESAT … FEEL BETRAYED NOW BY;;;; ITV;;;; IN PARTICULAR . AT LEAST BBC HAVE ADDED BBC1HD. IS IT FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS FOR FREESAT ????
The answer is to ban TV channels that charge a subscription from transmitting adverts and only allow channels that are free to air to transmit adverts. This would stop some of the commercial TV stations having two bites of the cherry!!!
To answer the question — ” British Sky Broadcasting on 17 November 2006 when it controversially bought a 17.9% stake in ITV plc for £940 million”
I am absolutely disgusted with ITV for doing an about turn and selling out to Sky on ITV2,3,4 in HD.To say they are likely to go into a deal with Virgin is of no help to me whatsoever.I live in an area that doesn’t have cable,I don’t follow sport….except cricket… and as such Freesat is perfect.I bought all the kit and was assured that as new HD channels came on board so Freesat would make them available.I feel cheated by this ITV decision
I sincerely hope that enough Freesat and Freeview viewers make sufficient noise so that the Government steps in and stops this juggernaut that is Sky.
I do hope ITV will be willing to compensate Freesat Viewers after all the waiting and expense of getting kitted out for what was billed as the answer for those unwilling to let Sky get an even bigger grip on British Television. ITV was a co-founder of Freesat and as such promised much. It seems that those of us who went with Freesat were just conned. Shame on you ITV!
Looks like Freeview HD will emerge as the winner,particularly as
the new TV’s have this built in.
I bought Freeview HD in the expectation that simulcasts Free-to-air channels would NOT be more money in Rupert Murdoch’s coffers, and a reasonable hope that paying for a TV licence would entitle this.
It just goes to show how deep Murdoch’s pockets are and how far he is prepared to go!
And we live in the land of the free? Don’t make me laugh! This would NOT be allowed to happen even in the USA!!
Just to confirm all that is said above how can ITV decide to only have HD versions of ITV2, ITV3 & ITV4 on Sky.
In most countries you can choose between many Satellite providers but in the UK we can only choose Sky. We in the UK probably pay more for TV than any other nation because the Government allowed Sky a virtual monopoly for satellite services
The total lack of satellite and cable competition really irritates me, too.
sky should be boycotted. its a disgrace that so many people have bought freesat boxes and itv do a uturn on giving us the hd channells. hoprfully in
I’ve just bought a tv with freeview hd and freesat hd built in, and was looking forward to viewing the so called HD channels, which, I,ve just found that ITV2,3,&4 HD seem to be on Sky’s greedy empire. When will this grasper say ‘it is enough’, boycott this over priced pay as you watch company.
just moved over from sky and why the fuss about HD ITV 2etc.. most of it is NOT broadcast in HD anyway, the only things ITV put out in HD like Xfator not worth watching. OK we miss out on some films in HD but they keep showing the same film over and over…If youwant to watch James Bond in HDr ent the film on BlueRay and no adverts.
Do you really want to see Simon Cowell in HD……?
Having been very happy with my HD set and enjoying the BBC and ITV1 progs I was pleased to hear that the other ITV channels were going to go out in HD. So couldn’t understand why I couldn’t get them. Then I read this forum and all becomes clear. It is such a shame, I used to have Sky some years ago but as they caused me problems re payments which I had made (they actually owed me money) I decided never to use them again and I never will. Shame on ITV for selling out.
Most of the output on those channels will be upscaled standard def., which both my freesat box and tv can do anyway. It’s no big deal.
hi guys i also have a freesat hd box i had the standard version before that.ive noticed that nobody on here has mentioned that you can add channels manually to the bush freesat boxes.go to your main menu,then settings and then to add non-freesat services from there you just input the frequency,symbol rate,Lnb (vertical/horizontal) then hit the scan option.it will scan the freq an add any channels that you dont have.now these wont show up in your channel guide,they can be accessed by scrolling up from bbc1(101) click info btn first) i have already done so and have itv 1 hd on mine.also you can add a lot more channels i’ll admit its mostly the dross you get on the upper channels of sky but its better than nothing. check this link out. http://en.kingofsat.net/pos-28.2E.php
Murdock should go back down under and ruin their tv
and leave uk tv alone
Seems he’s got his own way with another Tory Government
Remember the demise of BSB GONE IN 60 SECS Murdock again and a little
help from Mrs Thatcher !!
Seems he dont like compition his monopoly should be dissolved
Lets have a better freedom of choice
He possiably as a share holding in ITV ?
An angry Licence fee Payer
Who cares about HD most of whats shown on itv will not be in HD anyway. Ive never had sky tv and never will iam happy with freesat
I, like many of the comments already aired, am utterly disgusted at the way in which Sky is insidiously trying to gain control of the British media being aided and abetted in their aims by a synical neo-fascist government.
It is quite obvious that Murdoch and his cronies are not in the least bit interested in providing the paying public with anything like a decent service – all they are interested in is money and above all POWER.
Because of where I live I cannot receive Freview so have to use Virgin Media and Freesat, as you can imagine from my earlier comments I will never subscribe to the over rated and very expensive Sky!!
HD doesn’t make the TV any better – it is just the same rubbish in HD. For HD to work the content has to improve, otherwise it is box of rubbish chocolates in a fancy wrapper.
As one of the other comments says – “Who wants Britian’s got talent in HD?” The show is so full of fake tension the actual content is limited to 30% of the run time.
If Sky has bought in to ITV then that is all you need to know. To recover the cost of the buy in it would seem logical that the deal would have a come over to the dark side clause, otherwise why else buy a 20% share in your rival??
Give ITV a bucket load of cash and then get it all back over time as ITV pays to put it’s HD channels on Sky only. Add to this the people who will then join Sky because it is the “only” place you can get the HD channels. What a cracking deal (heavy on the sarcasum)
24 hours a day TV and more and more chanels give a wider choice but does nothing for the content of the programs, HD or otherwise.
OK The ITV HD channels are on sky I have sky and a hd box and I cant view them you need the full subscription and the HD Pack which is £10 a month extra to get the ITV HD channels so just having a sky hd box wont so it you want to view them your looking at £50 or more a month
TO ME FEEL LIKE SCAAAAAAAAAAM
I am a sports fan but will never subscribe to SKY. They can put as many sales persons in shopping centres, begging for my attention, but they will never deceive me with their fake packages.
I have a Freesat HD Box and do not aim to change things because of ITV selling out to SKY. In many respects SKY reminds me of BT and the monopoly they once had. However when thousands left BT for obvious reasons and competition was enabled, BT was forced to change practices and packages accordingly.
We the consumer, have to stand firm and either not go with SKY in the first place or leave SKY when appropriate.
I for one will continue to support Freesat and Freeview
The Tour de France in HD would be fantastic but News International denies me the pleasure. This unforgiveable and they deserve a public boycott
A friend of mine has just gotten a SKY HD box. On a lot of channels, there doesn’t seem to be a huge quality difference between the standard signal and HD. However on outdoor broadcasts there is; Tour de France in HD is very sharp indeed. But I’m not going to pay an extra £10 a month for the few channels where HD makes a big difference. (May be there’s some small hope that SKY will someday reduce/drop the £10 per month charge for HD, the way they dropped the £10/month charge for SKY+ boxes.)
For those people who say there is nothing on ITV HD. They are obvioustly not interested in sport. I would love to see Tour de France in HD and the upcoming Europa Leage Football also.
As someone who can’t get sky, and has no cables laid in our area means no cable tv either, so one has to settle with freeview. As a country which has meant to have competition, how can this be when sky has the monopoly of tv (99.9%). As I’ve only recently been able to receive HD TV in our area, it’s great for sport on the few channels available, I await the day when other channels will be available on freeview ie ITV4 HD which has great sport coverage (I do pay for ESPN via topup tv for only £9.99 per month, which I must say is good value, but the picture is not great due to available bandwidth).
It’s time for the goverment to get involved as they are the ones that are telling us to watch the pennies, but expecting as to pay more money to watch tv, isn’t the tv licence enough.
This may have been said before, but ban ads on TV channels that charge a subscription. Charge Murdoch and SKY to advertise on ITV channels.
THIS IS BULL****, SKY MONOPOLY ANYONE?? RUPERT’S EMPIRE EXPANDS
When did itv have anything worth watching anyway.All they get are clapped out ex BBC presenters and actors and second rate copies of BBC programmes.Dickinson the antique man.Stealing stumbling on ice from stickly come come dancing idea.Jonathan Ross and the hopeless ant n dec who don’t know their own names without it being on a cue card to read. H D=hopeless defunct itv.Crozier ruined football then the post office now ITV.How does he get work?
If ITV continue to advertise available on ITV? and ITV?HD ON A FREESAT OR FREEVIEW CHANNEL should there not be a comment stating the HD content is only available on Sky
Is it not just a plain mislead or scam to insinuate otherwise
No matter how garbage some of the content is shouldn’t the OFT not take notice of blatant misrepresentation
Maybe tv retail should annotate on their HD’s the limited number of programmes not on pay to view
At least when sky do previews you know you need Sky to watch
I also bought my freesat box in the hope of avoiding the unecessary costs of subscription for HD TV from then terestrial providers. I to am disguisted to find that ITV have done a U turn and will certainly be writing to OffCom. At a time when after many years campaigning Sky finally give in and make their Sky sports offering available to other service providers it smacks of anti competition for the new HD terestrial services to be restricted to a Pay TV format with sky.
Will NEVER pay for sky. . .EVER!! I don’t care who sells out to them I will always stay with freesat. Full stop!
I don’t approve of the man who owns Sky (the same man who’s disgusting newspaper hacked Millie Dowlers Phone. . Shame on you!)
My principles are intact thank you very much. . how about yours ITV?
Well I have a freest box very happy wont get sky will freest always be here. Can anyone answer
I wouldn’t do the proverbial to Sky if they were on fire!! Li**s, th**ves, and *on-m*rch*nts from previous experience.
If you want the answer its simple!!, Just don’t pay for sky, Thats it, ITV will have to use freesat / freeview or whatever . . . . . Don’t forget we actually have the power to make changes its just that some people can’t seem to make/or be bothered to make any sort of sacrafice to bring them on . . . . . I don’t pay for a landline I use a mobile only, I use freesat and I share the internet with my neighbour all for £20 a month, Job done . . . .
Good old consumer power will win out, and with us all doing some belt tightening, pay for tv seems very expensive. People sign up for sky around the £15-£20 a month mark, then somehow it creeps upto £60 a month after a few years, and you don’t know why.
People buy sky these days for there bundle deals on tv+phone+broadband, there tv offering has been sub-par for years. At some point in eveyones life we all get a Sky tv subscription only to realise you spend most of your evenings just pressing “Next” channel hundreds of times trawling through awful channels.
If in the mean time you want to watch the football in HD thats on ITV4 you can pay for an online service. Then if you can plug an old computer into your tv with a HDMI cable you can use online tv providers who show ITV4 HD, and also use iPlayer, 4OD etc
how do i get itv hd on sky and also bbc news 24
i found ITV2 and ITV3 on tvsector
Joke,I will never get sky fitted to my home.You pay for your T.Vs,T.V license,electric,everything,just to get shaffted again,fuk em get it chipped,word up.
Bad idea. Freesat should be heavily invested in because unlike most people I wont be suckered in to paying bare minimum £40 a month for sky never have never will. The cost of living is high enough without having to pay a rediculous amount of money to watch channels in slightly higher quality. No wonder illegal downloading is so common.
Hello.
What is wrong,with you Brit’s,out there,being ripped-off,with dearest pay-tv,in
Europe!
There is load’s,of competition,if you get,a multi-sat,satellite system.
It is so cheap,too,to buy,and install,for a basic system(check out ebay!).
I,m getting,my system,back-up,after new landlord,allowed me permission!
How does,50 satellite’s,and nearly 10,000 channel’s,sound?
Sport,movies,etc,in HD,for free,too!
Check out,What satellite & Digital TV magazine,for detail’s.
I have never,and will never,buy anything,from Rupert Murdoch,who is a Vatican
Puppet!
I had Sky’s basic package for about a year and a half then decided I would go Freesat. I emailed Sky to cancel from their own website, they don’t actually provide an email address that you can use with your own client thus keeping a copy to prove it was sent – no response. Next month they took my direct debit so I emailed them again – no response, the following month they once again took my subscription so I cancelled the direct debit. For 3 more months they continued to provide the unwanted service then at last cut it off. But for over a year I was bombarded with demands for 3 months subscriptions from various collection agencies and demands to let them have my (changed, unlisted) phone number so ‘we can discuss it’. There was nothing to discuss and besides that, my neighbour had cancelled by recorded delivery snail mail and had been phoned at times ranging from midnight to 7 a.m. on a Sunday by these cowboys with sales patter. At last I got an offer I couldn’t refuse, sorry accept, ‘if I paid them half of what I didn’t owe them then they would restart my Sky service (that I didn’t want) at the same price as I was paying before. DOH! I wouldn’t touch them even if there was no Freeview/sat.
Money money money is that all these people think about .give somthing back for once itv, all were asking is acouple of HD channels for our HD tv’s to watch some HD Sport on our exspensive HD tvs