Launch of Freeview HD to Result in Reduction in Red Button Interactive TV Services

The BBC announced Tuesday that, due to its commitment to launching HD broadcast channels on the UK's free-to-air digital terrestrial platform, Freeview, which involves rearranging the existing SD channels on that platform, it will have to switch off two (including channel 302) of the three interactive streams it uses on Freeview to deliver red-button content.

The switch-off, which is scheduled to take place October 27th, means that Freeview viewers will no longer be able to access the BBC News Multiscreen interactive TV application, and that for other content, including sports and music, there will be fewer repeats available under the red button, with content played out in smaller blocks of time ("Whereas before we have run Red Button content in long loops, meaning it is repeated frequently, we will now be scheduling shorter runs to make sure we fit in as much content as possible into the remaining space we have--no more CBBC extra runs through the middle of the night!," the BBC's controller of TV platforms, Rahul Chakkara, said in a posting on a BBC blog). However, the corporation says, Freeview viewers will still be able to access sports, music and entertainment coverage on the remaining interactive stream. "Although fans of Red Button on Freeview will notice some changes as we prepare for the arrival of HD, they will still be able to access all the latest news, weather and sport via our Digital Text service," John Denton, the BBC's managing editor of TV platforms, said in a prepared statement (note: for an in-depth interview with Denton on the BBC's Red Button interactive TV service, see the article published on itvt.com, July 23rd). "Big events like Wimbledon and Glastonbury will still be available from the BBC on Freeview."

According to the BBC's Rahul Chakkara, the corporation is taking various measures to ensure that viewers are aware of the fairly extensive (see, for example, the article published on itvt.com, October 20th) line-up of content it offers behind the red button: "To ensure that you can find...BBC content available behind the Red Button we will also be providing better scheduling information to TV listings magazines and improve our on-screen now-and-next information so you can set your personal video recorders to record this content," he wrote in a blog posting. Chakkara also stated that the BBC is "looking at some of the emerging technologies to explore innovative ways of delivering the services we have taken off. I would welcome your ideas and thoughts on this," he added. The BBC says that later this week it will publish details of the Notice to Tender for the sub-lease of capacity on Freeview Multiplex B, which will temporarily be left vacant when the two interactive streams are switched off.

The BBC Red Button service regularly attracts large audiences: it reaches an average of 11 million viewers each week, and its coverage earlier this year of the Glastonbury Music Festival and of Wimbledon was accessed by 6.1 million viewers and 7.5 million viewers respectively. Judging from comments on BBC blogs where the decision to reduce Freeview's red-button services was announced (see here and here), the move is not proving very popular with viewers.