News

Spin-off channel H2 (History Two) has launched in the UK as part of the Sky pay-TV platform. H2 was introduced in the US in September 2011 and the UK version will show home-grown and bought-in documentaries and reality series on ancient history, modern history, science and technology.

Programmes include Serial Killer Earth, Ancient Aliens, History of Britain, and Ultimate Soldier Challenge. H2 replaces the Military History channel, and broadcasts from the Astra 28.2°E satellites

Visit www.history.co.uk/h2 for more information

Discovery Networks will launch its TLC channel in the UK and Ireland on April 30, broadcasting SD and HD versions from Astra 28.2°E as part of the Sky UK pay-TV platform. Aimed at women aged 25-49, Discovery has described the lifestyle and entertainment channel as ‘playful, humorous and passionate’.

A report from Thinkbox, the marketing body for commercial TV in the UK, has revealed that watching traditional ‘linear’ TV, such as the DTH satellite broadcasts from Sky and Freesat via ASTRA 28.2°E, is still the mainstay of UK TV viewing. In 2012 British viewers each day watched an average of 4 hours 1 minute of linear TV on a television screen (the third consecutive year the figure has remained above four hours a day), despite the growth in viewing on other devices and from other sources.

The BBC will launch an HD version of its BBC Two channel on March 26. Broadcasting free-to-air from ASTRA 28.2°E to the UK as part of the Freesat and Sky UK platforms, BBC Two HD will follow the same programme schedule as the existing SD version of BBC Two, upscaling those programmes not made in high definition.

Over 3 million set-top boxes and integrated TVs and have been sold for UK free-to-air satellite platform Freesat. Now four years old, Freesat broadcasts over 150 TV radio and interactive channels via ASTRA 28.2°E with its own 7-day EPG exclusive to official Freesat TVs and boxes.

Visit www.freesat.co.uk for further info

The number of requests for programming from the BBC’s catch-up TV service, iPlayer has rocketed from 11 million in January 2012 to 40 million in January this year.  The age profile of iPlayer users has also changed, with the number of people over 55 using the service up 24% in 2012.

According to a report from UK media regulator, Ofcom, the UK leads Europe, and even the World, as a nation of high-tech TV lovers. The ‘International Communications Market Report’ examined take-up, availability, price and use of media technology in 17 major countries.

A study by survey company YouGov has found that over half (55%) of people in the UK have connected their TV sets to the internet to access catch-up TV,  on-demand video, radio, news apps, etc on their ‘main’ screen, and that there is a huge demand for ‘smart’ connected TVs. The study also found that 11% of UK viewers intend to buy a connected TV in the next 12 months.

UK entertainment channel, FX is changing its name to that of its owner, Fox. From January 11, the channel will be called Fox and broaden its content, introducing a number of new series to the channel, including sitcom Men At Work, chat show The Ricki Lake Show, and UK/US comedy The Increasingly Poor Decisions Of Todd Margaret.

FX broadcasts in standard definition and HD as part of the Sky pay-TV platform on ASTRA 28.2°E.

Visit www.fxuk.com or www.foxtv.co.uk for more information

Our satellite services have been at the forefront of analogue switch off across the UK. As the last analogue TV transmissions were switched off in October 2012, so broadcasters such as BskyB and Freesat have used our satellite TV satellites to provide digital SD and HD TV across the UK and reach areas that cannot be economically services with terrestrial technologies.

The same is happening with broadband so that remote communities can have the same access to the internet and digital services via satellite broadband.