European Channels
 

I have read recently that euro channels sre free to air for cable co.s

If that is true when will we get them like we did on analogue service from C+W and Videotron

I believe that the Spanish Channel TVE is going digital in july 03

Is this true? Can we get Euro channels for free? If so, HOW? do we need to ask for them to be added, like we used to have to do with BBC Parliament?
:confused:

Are there any French ones?

TV5 (TV CINQ)

Is available on ntl digital for something like a £1 a month. Its the french version of BBC world and features various french programming.

TV5 is in the family pack on Digital.

Thanks for correcting me

TV 5 is now free. I'd say better than BBC World. It offers the best from France 2, & 3.

:wavey:

TV5 shows some really good films too.

They are free if Ntl wish to carry them which they dont according to London Customer management

Hi..TV5 doesnt show anywhere on my progs list..how to get pse??

Family Pack 210

Check with CS.


:wavey:

I'm amazed! You got an answer from London Customer Management? Don't believe it!
But... if for some strange reason you did get an answer, what did they say exactly? I cannot understand it if they are free to ntl: and they will not carry them. Any reasons from those of you in the know?
:confused:

Hi Gogogo...Thanks for that..Will fone CS when I have a couple of hours to spare..Tho if free shouldn`t it be in all packs...asks he hopefully??

They aren't free, ntl still have to recieve the channels, they need to multplex them, scramble them, distribute to 45 or so headends and then modulate them from each headend. Who should pay for that ?

I thought we pay for the channels to be carried with our monthly subscription charges.

Yes indeed, but ntl need to weigh up how much potential extra revenue each new channel will bring in against how much it costs to provide. Foreign language channels are not big subscriber drawers, so do not bring in much extra income.

put the likes of UKGOLD show repeats of repeats we pay for it as well as them getting income from adverts.

Asian channels get subscribers but it appears that European channels don't.

UK Gold is a popular channel, hence why channels like Gold+1 and Gold 2 exist. You might not like them, but they are attracters of subscribers. Also ntl have to pay the providers for the channels, so you aren't just putting money into ntl.

Most if not all asian channels are in subscrption packages, so are earners.

At the end of the day ntl are trying to make money and to do that they need the channels which people want, there isn't that much call for many european channels.

Hi...Do NTL need the channels that NTL want or the channels that the people want?I have the basic pack,purely for Sky1,the boss cant live without Buffy etc,and would gladly swap most of the others[especially the never ending shopping channels]for discovery,history natural history.Should be a way to put together a package that I want..IMHO

NTL have limited bandwidth and so they broadcast channels which have the biggest customer take-up and therefore the greatest profit.

So specialist channels like foreign language channels, which only appeal to a small percentage of customers don't bring in enough money and therefore do not get broadcast.

So thats why we have countless auction and shopping channels. :rolleyes: :D

No, we have those because they pay to be there...

Some channels pay for carriage.

Edit : Beaten to it.

Great,

"So how much do you want to pay for your robotic fully automated arse wiper? Bids start at 2p"

:D

I must have stirred some interest in London CS as I have now received 2 replys from them

This is the second


"Thank you for our mail. At present I can only advice as to the channels we
are providing at present. We do not have information regarding channels
that are going to be incorporated in the future. I do apologise for any
disappointment and if you keep an eye on what channels are available then
you will know what is available."

But we had them in analogue days SO why not now?

Is this part of the videotron conspiracy ie everything is bad and we dont want to touch it?

Does anyone know whats avaiable on Astra 1a 1b 1c and 1d now?

A 19.2 degrees east you have :-
http://www.lyngsat.com/astra19.shtml

Cheers I presune Astra 1a is dead now. My grandad used to say when he first got sky was that he wished he could speak fluent german so he could get some decent tv and not have to pay murdochs high prices as Murdoch had scrambled everything he could that was english.

Well Thor (Marco Polo from BSB days) was recently floated off towards the sun, I assume Astra 1A has also been retired. They were launched (as in providing downlinks to the UK) at about the same time.

I don't know for certain tho.

I remember the BSB system my grandparents had that before that got SKY. From what I remember the set top was very advanced compared to what was available on Astra. I remember there being some sort of an EPG and telling you what was on next etc.

Astra 1a is still there its been moved to another place.

http://www.lyngsat.com/astra1a.shtml

Yeah found it. Its in an inclined orbit which is usually done to save on fuel as a sat gets towards its end of life.

so its going to die then.

Yes, but maybe not for a few years yet. It depends on how much fuel its still got.

I find your info very fasinating thank you Proppinupthebar.

Like me you have no life !!!

:D :D

nah I have a life. I found that watching the german channels on ASTRA improved my german.

Infact I thought the programming was better then what sky offered but infact for free.

I loved the late night german films. I was 14 at the time and they just used to make me laugh. My grandparents who I would say are liberal used to tell me about them and they would sit there laughing there heads off at some of these films.