Freeview users get new channels as ITV and Channel 4 win coveted slots

by Sam Matthews, Brand Republic 24-Mar-05, 11:00

LONDON - ITV and Channel 4 have emerged victorious in the battle for Freeview slots, with the former launching a version of Men & Motors and Channel 4 mulling an E4, More 4 gaming or film channel launch later this year, according to reports.

The broadcasters are understood to have each paid in the region of £5m for the slots, which were made available by transmission company Crown Castle after additional broadcast capacity was added to the free-to-air digital service.

ITV will relaunch its Granada/Sky Broadcasting-owned channel Men & Motors as ITV4, offering cars, sport and adult entertainment for a 16- to 34-year-old male audience. ITV4 will launch on April 1 and is initially tied into a 12-month contract.

Channel 4, which won the second available slot, is likely to launch either entertainment channel E4, new channel More 4, gaming channel 9 Live which it trialled on E4 last year, or a film channel with the BBC. The second slot will not be available till summer 2005.

An official announcement by Crown Castle is expected within days.

Crown Castle turned down bids from Five, Disney, Turner Broadcasting, Sit-Up TV and Top-Up TV and has said there will be no more Freeview slots on the channel for some time.

A slot on Freeview when it launched in October 2002 was originally worth £1m but because space is limited and digital terrestrial TV take-up has soared, the new slot is worth in excess of £5m.

Record Christmas sales increased the number of Freeview households in the UK to 5m, compared with almost 4m at the end of September. The figure is expected to exceed 6.1m by the end of the year, according to Continental Research's latest digital TV report.

If you have an opinion on this or any other issue raised on Brand Republic, join the debate in the Forum.