[OLD BOY]

We are at cross purposes because we are conflating two different subjects - the FAST channels on one hand and the broadcasters like the Beeb and ITV on the other.

My point is simply that the myriad of traditional broadcast channels (ie those published in the TV magazines) are likely to present all their programmes under one banner in the future and would not be divided up into individual channels as now (ITV1,2,3,4) and so on.

The FAST channels are a relatively new phenomenon that tend to be subject related (eg Baywatch, Friends, etc). While I agree that these FAST channels will continue to exist if operators can make money out of them, I believe the main channels that we watch now will simply be streamed under one banner. That’s all I’m saying.

We are currently in a transitional period, but once the broadcasting is switched to online only there will be no point in carrying on with categorising programmes in that way. The big streamers of course categorise their offerings by programme type, eg new releases, dramas, etc and not by labels such as Netflix 1, Netflix 2, and so on.

So while for example you can still look up your programmes by channel at present, as you can on ITVX and the BBCi-Player, I don’t think the broadcasters will display their content in that way after the transmitters are no longer used for TV.

The FAST channels are likely to continue to exist for the foreseeable future.