[Newshound47]

My theory on that is that it would just be possible to fit everything in the existing space and also hand back the nightlight transponder if they closed the broadcast version of BBC Red Button HD, which is arguably needed less as a linear channel now that the nightlight migration has forced everybody off older satellite boxes and most newer boxes will have built-in iPlayer support.

However, I think the issue is really about recording content which is not possible if Red Button as a linear stream goes away.

It also probably wouldn’t be optimal to have four versions of BBC One HD on a single transponder, which is what would have to happen if they put that plan into action.

So probably cheapest, overall, to temporarily rent space for a single channel off Sky and hand back the transponder they no longer need, so they don’t have to rent a whole transponder unnecessarily. In the medium term, I suspect they will shoehorn it in to the existing capacity using encoder improvements; in the longer term they are trying to phase out linear anyway.

A version of this plan is clearly what the BBC first had in mind when they mooted closing CBBC and BBC Four - repairing CBeebies with BBC Three and allowing for one whole stream to be closed; effectively meaning there would be space for a one more stream of BBC One instead.

If the built in Iplayer support on some Sky Boxes works like my Virgin Box that won’t be very effective.

Also currently Sky Bixed don’t need to be connected to Broadband anyway. My neighbour has a sky box but has no internet connection at all.