Digital was the watchword of 2005’s TV industry, as media regulator Ofcom revealed almost 66% of the nation’s homes now receive TV in digital format (see Ofcom Estimates Show 65.9% Of Britain With Digital TV).
The surge in growth was fuelled in part by the launch of several high profile digital channels, as ITV3, ITV4 and Channel 4’s More 4 all took to the air as planned. ITV and Channel 4 also signed up to join the Freeview consortium, giving the broadcasters more control over the platform’s direction going forward (see ITV And Channel 4 Join Freeview Consortium).
Elsewhere, BSkyB backtracked on its plans for the Freeview service, announcing that Sky Travel would soon be re-branded as dedicated entertainment channel Sky Three, providing a showcase for the content of its paid for digital satellite channels (see Sky Three To Launch On Freeview).
The end of the year saw Sky in celebratory mood meanwhile, as the satellite giant announced record subscribers of more than eight million, surpassing its targets and remaining on course to hit ten million by the end of the decade (see Sky Subscribers Pass Eight Million).
Not everything was rosy in the world of digital TV, however, as ITV announced the closure of its ITV News Channel in December, making way for entertainment and children’s offerings on the Freeview platform. ITV’s decision was cushioned with increased investment in news, however, as the broadcaster promised “focus on developing new media solutions and strengthening ITV1’s news offering” (see ITV To Axe News Channel By End Of January).
High-tech TV solutions were also on the minds of Britain’s broadcasters throughout 2005, with the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, BSkyB, NTL and Telewest all announcing video on demand products to provide pictures at the push of a button.
Existing on demand broadcaster HomeChoice also unveiled new branding, and plans for a national roll out in the coming months (see HomeChoice Sets Out Next Generation Network Plans).
In addition to on demand television, 2005 saw all the major players turn their attention to high definition (HD) services. The BBC announced plans to broadcast BBC One in HD format as a trial of the new technology (see BBC To Launch HDTV Trial On All Platforms Next Year), while BSkyB continued to prepare its HD services for launch early this year (see Sky Expands Pre-Launch HDTV Line-Up).
Meanwhile, cable operator Telewest became the first of the country’s broadcasters to launch HD services, rolling out several channels of vastly improved quality to an initial audience of around 400 customers (see Telewest First To Launch HDTV Services).
Mobile TV services, almost non-existent at the beginning of the year, were showing positive signs towards the end of 2005, as offerings from ITV, BSkyB and Channel 4 reported expansion and distribution deals (see Sky Signs Vodafone For Mobile TV Service). Own-branded services from the likes of Vodafone and Orange also reported healthy viewing figures (see Vodafone Live! 3G TV Popular With Customers).
NTL also looked keen to enter the mobile TV market at the end of the year, with rumours abound that the company will soon make a second bid for Virgin Mobile, extending its services to a ‘quadruple-play’ of TV, internet, fixed and mobile telecoms despite its initial takeover bid being turned down by the firm (see Virgin Mobile Backs Away From NTL Deal).
TV advertising also saw a year of evolution, with Ofcom taking the first tentative steps towards legalised product placement within British broadcasting. Outlining plans for a consultation on product placement, Ofcom stated that a cautious approach is necessary, despite broadcasters being eager to tap new revenue streams (see Ofcom Launches Product Placement Consultation).
Elsewhere, the media regulator ditched plans for a wide-ranging review of the TV ad market, claiming that the consolidation of Carlton and Granada in 2004 had led to sufficient safeguards already being put into place to protect advertisers (see Ofcom Scraps Plans For TV Advertising Review).
