[JMT1985]

So the Great TV channel along with Great Movies remains free to air on Freeview, but they decided to leave Freesat - why? I contacted Freesat and they told me it wasn't their choice for the channels to leave and from what their PR team told me, Freesat was given very little notice.

Why leave one free platform, but remain on one, which is not uniform, as the full Freeview service isn't easily received around the country - I don't see the sense in their decision - Freesat must have been charging high rate for the EPG slots?

[Fluffy Bunny Feet]

So the Great TV channel along with Great Movies remains free to air on Freeview, but they decided to leave Freesat - why? I contacted Freesat and they told me it wasn't their choice for the channels to leave and from what their PR team told me, Freesat was given very little notice.

Why leave one free platform, but remain on one, which is not uniform, as the full Freeview service isn't easily received around the country - I don't see the sense in their decision - Freesat must have been charging high rate for the EPG slots?

What surprised me was when Great! left Freesat whilst on TX. I was watching a movie which 'disappeared' before my eyes...

[Brekkie]

Are the channels still free to watch manually on satellite?

[JMT1985]

Are the channels still free to watch manually on satellite?

I think they might be encrypted now - considering they whipped them off Freesat so fast - it seems the owner of the channel now wants to make them pay channels. I wonder how long they will keep them on Freeview?

[chinamug]

Are the channels still free to watch manually on satellite?

Yes, they all appear to be available Free to Air on satellite. (at 2am this morning)

[gottago]

So the Great TV channel along with Great Movies remains free to air on Freeview, but they decided to leave Freesat - why? I contacted Freesat and they told me it wasn't their choice for the channels to leave and from what their PR team told me, Freesat was given very little notice.

Why leave one free platform, but remain on one, which is not uniform, as the full Freeview service isn't easily received around the country - I don't see the sense in their decision - Freesat must have been charging high rate for the EPG slots?

Freesat charges channels to appear on its EPG whereas I don't think there's any such cost on Freeview. Ultimately Freesat has the fewest users of all platforms whereas Freeview has the most so if they're looking to cut costs they might as well cut paying the service that brings them the lowest audience.

[rick]

What surprised me was when Great! left Freesat whilst on TX. I was watching a movie which 'disappeared' before my eyes...

I wasn't aware the Freesat software worked like that, I imagine the channel would have stayed on screen until you changed the channel and then it might have disappeared if you tried to go back.

Anyway, I thought they did retunes overnight to add/remove channels, so it's bizarre that the channel disappeared and kicked you off to another channel in the middle of a programme. I've never heard of that happening before.

[Brekkie]

In this case though the channel wasn't being discontinued - Freesat were just removing access to it.

[JMT1985]

Freesat charges channels to appear on its EPG whereas I don't think there's any such cost on Freeview. Ultimately Freesat has the fewest users of all platforms whereas Freeview has the most so if they're looking to cut costs they might as well cut paying the service that brings them the lowest audience.

Really? Does Freeview not charge for channel space?

[lhx1985]

Really? Does Freeview not charge for channel space?

'Freeview' doesn't have any channel space to rent, so no.
You apply to EveryoneTV to be allocated an LCN once you have made an agreement with one of the multiplex operators.
Those are the BBC, Digital 3&4, SDN (ITV), Arqiva, Comux and (in Manchester) Canis. It is these guys who 'charge for channel space'.

The Freeview platform/epg is open in this respect, whereas the Freesat and Sky EPGs are essentially a walled garden. You pay for your 'channel space' and then have to pay to play in the garden as well.