BBC Look to add Pay / Encrypted service
BBC Freesat are looking into a pay Tv service after Ofcom demand BskyB to sell Sky Sports 1 & 2 & other content @ reduced rate by Ofcom's new ruling on competition in the UK Market.
It looks like Freesat will start to introduce some content or Channel on a Subscription basis over the next year or so and will bring with it a Lock out of cross Border viewing such as the Republic of Ireland, Spain & main land Europe etc as was the case in the past, by using a CA Module (CAM slot can be found on all new Freesat Receivers example Humax ) definite Encryption and Possable Viewing Card much like Top UP Tv opperated.
Currently BBC World use and Pays for Conax & Viaccess Encryption across Europe rebroadcasting BBC programing to counties such as Poland, Italy and Eastern Europe.
If the BBC Trust Vote Yes for the Introduction of a Subscription services for Cash strapped BBC / Freesat and add BskyB's Sky Sports 1 & 2 along with other channels, it will be only a matter of time BBC 1 & 2 along with Cash Strapped ITV, C4, C5 etc will all hide behind this encrypted service if it makes money.
Any Introduction for a Subscription service by Freesat can only be bad for a Free service currently been provided especially when it comes to Sports and other content that will or can be Hidden behind an Encryption Such as F1, Rugby, FA football.
You can Read the full report here Remember read between the Lines any Introduction of Subscription Content on Freesat will only lead to a full Encrypted Service sooner or later ...
Source: BroadbandTVNews
Freesat is looking to take advantage of Ofcom’s Wholesale Must Offer rules, offering a pay-TV package, even though many of its set-top boxes don’t feature the necessary conditional access smart card slot.
Managing director Emma Scott told The Guardian that the option of offering subscribers the ability to sign up for Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 2 was currently being discussed at board level. However, no final decision has been made, and there are concerns that any pay offer might run counter to the Freesat brand.
Any plan for a move into pay by the BBC-ITV operated platform would first need the approval of the BBC Trust, currently otherwise engaged in the defence of the BBC Licence Fee at current levels.
Already BT Vision has set out its offer for IPTV subscribers, and with the telco using DTT as a delivery mechanism the option is there to offer a pay-TV offer alongside Freeview, though no operator as so far made such an announcement.
Under the Freesat plans a third party would run the pay-TV offering, Freesat would then take charge of the conditional access. It already runs its own EPG from the 28.2 degrees East orbital slot it shares with bskyb.
The challenge for Freesat would be the lack of a conditional access module in many of the 1.25 million receivers already in the marketplace. For example while the newer Humax Foxsat-HDR has a CAM slot, the earlier Foxsat-HD does not, so a new generation of CA-ready product would be required. An early 2011 launch for Canvas – the BBC iPlayer is already available through Freesat – might be perfect timing.
Launching a pay-TV offer may help Freesat around two potential problems. The first is that for all the promotion of HD – the majority of Freesat purchases are for HD receivers – only two HD channels are currently on the platform. In addition to BBC HD and ITV1 HD, the terrestrial Freeview HD can offer Channel 4, while Five HD is only available through Sky. The latter two channels broadcast an encrypted signal that is currently of little use to Freesat boxes and the introduction of CA may improve their carriage chances.
Secondly, there remains the possibility that ITV’s strategic review might bring forward the possibility of additional pay channels from the commercial operator. Its own platform might be the perfect launch pad.
It looks like Freesat will start to introduce some content or Channel on a Subscription basis over the next year or so and will bring with it a Lock out of cross Border viewing such as the Republic of Ireland, Spain & main land Europe etc as was the case in the past, by using a CA Module (CAM slot can be found on all new Freesat Receivers example Humax ) definite Encryption and Possable Viewing Card much like Top UP Tv opperated.
Currently BBC World use and Pays for Conax & Viaccess Encryption across Europe rebroadcasting BBC programing to counties such as Poland, Italy and Eastern Europe.
If the BBC Trust Vote Yes for the Introduction of a Subscription services for Cash strapped BBC / Freesat and add BskyB's Sky Sports 1 & 2 along with other channels, it will be only a matter of time BBC 1 & 2 along with Cash Strapped ITV, C4, C5 etc will all hide behind this encrypted service if it makes money.
Any Introduction for a Subscription service by Freesat can only be bad for a Free service currently been provided especially when it comes to Sports and other content that will or can be Hidden behind an Encryption Such as F1, Rugby, FA football.
You can Read the full report here Remember read between the Lines any Introduction of Subscription Content on Freesat will only lead to a full Encrypted Service sooner or later ...
Source: BroadbandTVNews
Freesat is looking to take advantage of Ofcom’s Wholesale Must Offer rules, offering a pay-TV package, even though many of its set-top boxes don’t feature the necessary conditional access smart card slot.
Managing director Emma Scott told The Guardian that the option of offering subscribers the ability to sign up for Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 2 was currently being discussed at board level. However, no final decision has been made, and there are concerns that any pay offer might run counter to the Freesat brand.
Any plan for a move into pay by the BBC-ITV operated platform would first need the approval of the BBC Trust, currently otherwise engaged in the defence of the BBC Licence Fee at current levels.
Already BT Vision has set out its offer for IPTV subscribers, and with the telco using DTT as a delivery mechanism the option is there to offer a pay-TV offer alongside Freeview, though no operator as so far made such an announcement.
Under the Freesat plans a third party would run the pay-TV offering, Freesat would then take charge of the conditional access. It already runs its own EPG from the 28.2 degrees East orbital slot it shares with bskyb.
The challenge for Freesat would be the lack of a conditional access module in many of the 1.25 million receivers already in the marketplace. For example while the newer Humax Foxsat-HDR has a CAM slot, the earlier Foxsat-HD does not, so a new generation of CA-ready product would be required. An early 2011 launch for Canvas – the BBC iPlayer is already available through Freesat – might be perfect timing.
Launching a pay-TV offer may help Freesat around two potential problems. The first is that for all the promotion of HD – the majority of Freesat purchases are for HD receivers – only two HD channels are currently on the platform. In addition to BBC HD and ITV1 HD, the terrestrial Freeview HD can offer Channel 4, while Five HD is only available through Sky. The latter two channels broadcast an encrypted signal that is currently of little use to Freesat boxes and the introduction of CA may improve their carriage chances.
Secondly, there remains the possibility that ITV’s strategic review might bring forward the possibility of additional pay channels from the commercial operator. Its own platform might be the perfect launch pad.