NOW 90s closes on Freeview?

Media Boy UK · 27-08-2019, 16:03

As of 1pm today NOW 90s was not broadcasting on Freeview.

denphone · 27-08-2019, 16:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by Media Boy

As of 1pm today NOW 90s was not broadcasting on Freeview.

The 90's was a good era for music but the 80's was my favourite era although that was in my punk days.

Media Boy UK · 27-08-2019, 16:16

NOW 90s is still on Virgin Media and Sky.

denphone · 27-08-2019, 16:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by Media Boy

NOW 90s is still on Virgin Media and Sky.

Yes watch it sometimes early morning when most are still in bed.

Media Boy UK · 27-08-2019, 16:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by denphone

The 90's was a good era for music but the 80's was my favourite era although that was in my punk days.

I did love Bananarama.

Who Bananarama? - Think Little Mix.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHdMWha3SDo

denphone · 27-08-2019, 16:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by Media Boy

I did love Bananarama.

Early on they sang with Funboy Three if you rightly remember MB.

Media Boy UK · 27-08-2019, 16:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by denphone

Early on they sang with Funboy Three if you rightly remember MB.

I just remember them on they own.

Mr K · 28-08-2019, 08:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by Media Boy

As of 1pm today NOW 90s was not broadcasting on Freeview.

It should have closed on 1/1/2000, shouldn't it ?

denphone · 28-08-2019, 08:42

But you are forgetting one thing and that is musical memories do not ever close but live on infinitely.

RichardCoulter · 28-08-2019, 14:36

Apparently, it's owners are saying that the removal isn't permanent and that they will be "back soon".

We've heard this before though with channels in the past, such as Vintage TV.

RichardCoulter · 28-08-2019, 18:32

Update: Now 90's came off Freeview due to the expiration of a six month carriage contract. If they don't secure more capacity within 12 weeks, under Freeview rules, they will lose their EPG slot.

RichardCoulter · 31-08-2019, 21:51

All being well, Now 90's hope to be back on Freeview at the end of September on a UK wide mux (their previous mux only covered 60% of the country).

Looks to me like their lease expired and they either didn't want to renew it as they are due to move to a better mux, or the owner of the mux didn't want to continue with the arrangement.

AFAIK, (not withstanding the temporary muxes), there are only a few hours overnight available on Freeview, so something else must be closing or moving to a temporary mux in order for Now 90's to have somewhere to move to.

Given that Now 90's performs better than Now 80's, you'd think that they would have temporarily closed Now 80's to keep Now 90's on air. Perhaps they didn't want to make any more changes than neccesary.

cheekyangus · 01-09-2019, 11:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by RichardCoulter

All being well, Now 90's hope to be back on Freeview at the end of September on a UK wide mux (their previous mux only covered 60% of the country).

Looks to me like their lease expired and they either didn't want to renew it as they are due to move to a better mux, or the owner of the mux didn't want to continue with the arrangement.

AFAIK, (not withstanding the temporary muxes), there are only a few hours overnight available on Freeview, so something else must be closing or moving to a temporary mux in order for Now 90's to have somewhere to move to.

Given that Now 90's performs better than Now 80's, you'd think that they would have temporarily closed Now 80's to keep Now 90's on air. Perhaps they didn't want to make any more changes than neccesary.

I highly doubt it. Music channels operate on razor thin margins and are increasingly losing viewers to internet sources, usually Youtube. They can't afford a Main transmitter, especially when the price will likely be even higher than usual due to the temporary multiplexes shutting down in places already.

And there is space on the Main Freeview multiplexes. Sony moved True Movies and True Entertainment to the Local multiplex and moved Movies4Men to KeepItCountry's slot (the one that doesn't have Wales because of E4/S4C) when it couldn't afford to stay.

This left 3 Main transmitter slots open. So far only Together TV has taken one of them.

In related matters Sony closed True Crime and its +1 on the Manchester Mux to enable all these musical chairs by their other channels but kept its slot open. This started the clock on their channel numbers, their 12 weeks ends at the end of September. The Movies4Men and other True channels rebrand happens on the 10th so Sony could just sell the True brand after that and so indirectly sell their Freeview numbers (which can't otherwise happen due to Freeview rules, so the channel needs sold). So whoever is taking one of the two remaining Freeview Main transmitter slots could simultaneously buy the rump of the True business to get better channel numbers in the 2 weeks following the rebranding on the 10th.

All just a theory, but the Freeview status page says True Crime is not closed but is instead listed as Temporarily Off Air (see bottom of this page https://www.freeview.co.uk/service-u...june-2019.html ) .

RichardCoulter · 01-09-2019, 23:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheekyangus

I highly doubt it. Music channels operate on razor thin margins and are increasingly losing viewers to internet sources, usually Youtube. They can't afford a Main transmitter, especially when the price will likely be even higher than usual due to the temporary multiplexes shutting down in places already.

And there is space on the Main Freeview multiplexes. Sony moved True Movies and True Entertainment to the Local multiplex and moved Movies4Men to KeepItCountry's slot (the one that doesn't have Wales because of E4/S4C) when it couldn't afford to stay.

This left 3 Main transmitter slots open. So far only Together TV has taken one of them.

In related matters Sony closed True Crime and its +1 on the Manchester Mux to enable all these musical chairs by their other channels but kept its slot open. This started the clock on their channel numbers, their 12 weeks ends at the end of September. The Movies4Men and other True channels rebrand happens on the 10th so Sony could just sell the True brand after that and so indirectly sell their Freeview numbers (which can't otherwise happen due to Freeview rules, so the channel needs sold). So whoever is taking one of the two remaining Freeview Main transmitter slots could simultaneously buy the rump of the True business to get better channel numbers in the 2 weeks following the rebranding on the 10th.

All just a theory, but the Freeview status page says True Crime is not closed but is instead listed as Temporarily Off Air (see bottom of this page https://www.freeview.co.uk/service-u...june-2019.html ) .

I'd forgotten about the spaces created by Sony. It makes you wonder why they haven't carried on broadcasting using this capacity, maybe they are waiting for another channel to move or close at the end of this month??

I doubt that money is the issue as Now 90's is the most popular music channel and it's owners have deep pockets.