Bidding Closes For Freeview Channel Slot
Mobile telecommunication and broadcast transmission infrastructure company, Crown Castle UK has closed bids for its vacant Freeview slot, ending a bidding war believed to have attracted offers as high as £7.3 million.
The space became available due to technology improvements and advances in compression technology, thus reducing the bandwidth required to transmit TV channels. The company stated that it was now possible to squeeze in the new channel alongside the existing 31 services.
The company received sealed bids until the end of January and currently a review team are sifting through the applications. Stephen Arnold from Crown Castle said that “they hope to announce the winner of the contract as soon as possible.”
Broadcasting is expected to start as early as 1 April this year, with the initial contract term lasting for 12 months, and channel availability up to 18 hours per day, operating as a free-to-air-service.
Earlier this month, David Chance, chairman of Top Up TV and former BSkyB executive claimed that Freeview homes will outnumber their Sky Digital counterparts by December 2005, stating that increased interest in pay-TV from terrestrial viewers was fuelling growth in his company’s low-cost premium channel offering.
Speaking at a Broadcasting Press Guild lunch, Chance said: “Freeview box sales in the calendar year will exceed three million units. The Freeview box population will be in five million homes by the end of the year. The run rate next year could well be another three million. By December 2005, the Freeview platform could be as big as Sky, which is a very big milestone.”
This Christmas saw record numbers of Freeview receivers sold, pushing the number of Freeview-equipped households up to the five million mark and delivering extra channels to at least one million more homes than at the same point last year, according to initial sales figures.
Freeview: 08708 80 99 80 www.freeview.co.uk
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