Freeview Completes Offering With New Sports Channel
Freeview has awarded the last remaining channel space on its digital multiplex to CBM Media, which is launching a sport and entertainment station at the end of this month.
The new channel, called CBM, will broadcast a range of British sport, with a focus on secondary events that don’t currently receive much TV exposure. It will also cover finance, business new provided by Bloomberg and movies produced by independent UK production companies.
A spokesman for CBM Media said: “There are many sports in which Britain leads the world but whose competitors remain anonymous to the public that they represent. The station will provide an unrivalled opportunity for such sports to get the quality and quantity of airtime they deserve.”
Former TV AM presenter, Mike Hollingsworth, has been appointed managing director of the station, which will broadcast 24 hours a day on channel 22, as part of Freeview’s general entertainment line-up.
Commenting on the launch, Matt Seaman, general manager of Freeview said: “With its mix of sport and general entertainment throughout the day, CBM will combine several different, attractive offerings within a single channel and that means even more choice and variety for Freeview’s viewers.”
Freeview already offers customers around 30 television channels and 19 digital radio services. The latest figures from the BBC show that the digital terrestrial service is now available in as many as 1.6 million households (see Freeview Convinces Sceptics To Join Digital Revolution).
A recent poll carried out by digital TV agency, Guerillascope, suggests that Freeview is failing to market itself as a commercial platform. The research shows that while the majority of people are aware of the service, more than half think it is the name for the BBC’s new channels (see Freeview Fails To Market Itself As Commercial Platform).
BBC: 020 8743 8000 www.bbc.co.uk
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