Sky Suspends "Picnic"

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Kanbei
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PostSky Suspends "Picnic"
by Kanbei » Fri Sep 12, 2008 2:19 pm

Sky has announced an immediate suspension of its preparations to launch a subscription TV service on digital terrestrial television.

Plans for the service were first confirmed in February 2007 and it was publicly unveiled as Picnic the following October.

Under the Picnic proposals, Sky's channels on Freeview - Sky News, Sky Three and Sky Sports News - would have been replaced with three encrypted streams making Sky Sports 1, Sky Movies, Sky One, a factual channel from Discovery and a children's channel from Disney available at different times of the day. Sky also planned to seek approval from Ofcom to use the newer MPEG-4 compression standard - which will now be used on a reconfigured multiplex B to carry high definition public service channels - for a 24 hour stream of Sky News.

Ofcom confirmed that it would consult on the proposals within days of the original announcement. Despite early reports that Sky was reconsidering the plans in light of the removal of its basic channels from Virgin Media, Sky pressed on and in March 2007 Ofcom said it would investigate on competition grounds and roll its inquiry into its larger consultation on the future of pay TV in the UK.

This April, Sky indicated it was looking at using IPTV to deliver Picnic to homes while awaiting Ofcom approval for the digital terrestrial service. As recently as July, Sky was said to be seeking marketing firms for the service's launch; however, a spokesperson today said that the plans had been suspended.

"We want to invest in Picnic because it will be good for consumers and a good opportunity for Sky," the spokesperson said. "But the blunt truth is that Ofcom has spent 18 months looking at our proposals and there is no end in sight. The Picnic team have done everything they can to prepare for launch and there’s nothing left to be achieved until Ofcom makes its mind up. While regulation works at its own pace, no business can go on like this indefinitely so we’ve had to take some pragmatic decisions. We will decide whether to reactivate the project when we have regulatory clarity."


http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/digitaltv/a ... rvice.html

Brilliant news :D

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Eighthours
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PostRe: Sky Suspends "Picnic"
by Eighthours » Fri Sep 12, 2008 2:20 pm

Why is it brilliant news?

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Kanbei
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PostRe: Sky Suspends "Picnic"
by Kanbei » Fri Sep 12, 2008 2:24 pm

Eighthours wrote:Why is it brilliant news?


Sky Sports News is easily my most watched Freeview channel so this would have gone and I personally think it's ridiculous to have pay channels on Digital Terrestrial

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Drunken_Master
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PostRe: Sky Suspends "Picnic"
by Drunken_Master » Fri Sep 12, 2008 2:24 pm

Eighthours wrote:Why is it brilliant news?



Lazy sod.

"Sky News, Sky Three and Sky Sports News - would have been replaced with three encrypted streams"

Ergo, they wanted to get rid of their free channels.

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Octoroc
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PostRe: Sky Suspends "Picnic"
by Octoroc » Fri Sep 12, 2008 2:25 pm

Sky Sports News is encrypted on satellite. :(

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Eighthours
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PostRe: Sky Suspends "Picnic"
by Eighthours » Fri Sep 12, 2008 3:14 pm

Drunken_Master wrote:
Eighthours wrote:Why is it brilliant news?



Lazy sod.

"Sky News, Sky Three and Sky Sports News - would have been replaced with three encrypted streams"

Ergo, they wanted to get rid of their free channels.


I was thinking of the people who would like to watch Sky One/Sky Sports on Freeview but can't.

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Steve
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PostRe: Sky Suspends "Picnic"
by Steve » Fri Sep 12, 2008 4:15 pm

Eighthours wrote:I was thinking of the people who would like to watch Sky One/Sky Sports on Freeview but can't.


Maybe they should stop being cheapskates and get Sky Television then :lol:

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Eighthours
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PostRe: Sky Suspends "Picnic"
by Eighthours » Fri Sep 12, 2008 4:18 pm

Steve wrote:
Eighthours wrote:I was thinking of the people who would like to watch Sky One/Sky Sports on Freeview but can't.


Maybe they should stop being cheapskates and get Sky Television then :lol:


Well, there is that. :lol:

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Extralife
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PostRe: Sky Suspends "Picnic"
by Extralife » Fri Sep 12, 2008 4:49 pm

I never watch Sky Sports and Sky News and Sky Three are rubbish. Wouldn't bother me if I didn't get them any more.

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Commander Jameson
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PostRe: Sky Suspends "Picnic"
by Commander Jameson » Fri Sep 12, 2008 4:50 pm

Eighthours wrote:
Steve wrote:
Eighthours wrote:I was thinking of the people who would like to watch Sky One/Sky Sports on Freeview but can't.


Maybe they should stop being cheapskates and get Sky Television then :lol:


Well, there is that. :lol:


We would if we could. We haven't got a suitable wall for the dish.

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PostRe: Sky Suspends "Picnic"
by Earfolds » Fri Sep 12, 2008 5:03 pm

I'm not sure about the backlash, from what I've read it seems Sky want to make Sky Sports 1, Sky Movies, Sky One, a factual channel from Discovery and a children's channel from Disney available at different times of the day, on Freeview, and better yet, in HD. Sky News will have a separate channel, from what I'm reading. I see no mention of Top Up TV, or subscription services of any sort.

EDIT: My bad, I just looked it up and it's a new kind of Freeview/Top Up TV.

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PostRe: Sky Suspends "Picnic"
by Fatal Exception » Fri Sep 12, 2008 5:09 pm

I thought when I got my own place that I would miss Sky One. I actually don't. It's just Malcome in the Middle constantly, followed by a documentary with Ross Kemp. I get my Lost from teh Interwebs.

I do miss Sky Movies sometimes, but again, the internet and Film4 more than feed my movie hunger.

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Jax
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PostRe: Sky Suspends "Picnic"
by Jax » Fri Sep 12, 2008 5:25 pm

Eighthours wrote:
Steve wrote:
Eighthours wrote:I was thinking of the people who would like to watch Sky One/Sky Sports on Freeview but can't.


Maybe they should stop being cheapskates and get Sky Television then :lol:


Well, there is that. :lol:


SOME people can't afford it.

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Eighthours
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PostRe: Sky Suspends "Picnic"
by Eighthours » Fri Sep 12, 2008 5:28 pm

Jaxley wrote:
Eighthours wrote:
Steve wrote:
Eighthours wrote:I was thinking of the people who would like to watch Sky One/Sky Sports on Freeview but can't.


Maybe they should stop being cheapskates and get Sky Television then :lol:


Well, there is that. :lol:


SOME people can't afford it.


Those people would still have to pay for the proposed Sky channels on Freeview.

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Jax
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PostRe: Sky Suspends "Picnic"
by Jax » Fri Sep 12, 2008 5:31 pm

Eighthours wrote:
Jaxley wrote:
Eighthours wrote:
Steve wrote:
Eighthours wrote:I was thinking of the people who would like to watch Sky One/Sky Sports on Freeview but can't.


Maybe they should stop being cheapskates and get Sky Television then :lol:


Well, there is that. :lol:


SOME people can't afford it.


Those people would still have to pay for the proposed Sky channels on Freeview.


A Freeview box is £20 these days, and then you don't pay anything else. I'm not entirely sure how much Sky costs, but on Freeview you only get some rubbish Sky channels. Sure, if they wanted to subscribe to some more, then okay.

----------------------

Right now i've got a Virgin Media freeview box, which has more channels than a normal one, but doesn't have any Sky channels. I wish they'd stick Sky One back on.

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KK
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PostRe: Sky Suspends "Picnic"
by KK » Fri Sep 12, 2008 5:45 pm

Sky Sports costs £19, but you've got to take it with one of their other Entertainment mixes, so you're looking at a minimum of £36. Movies is £34 & Both with 1 Mix is £43.

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Fishfingers
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PostRe: Sky Suspends "Picnic"
by Fishfingers » Fri Sep 12, 2008 5:53 pm

The last thing we need on terrestrial is more encrypted channels which you need to pay for. It's a shambles right now and this news is excellent.

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PostRe: Sky Suspends "Picnic"
by Tineash » Fri Sep 12, 2008 6:04 pm

Hah! strawberry float you Sky!

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evanswolves
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PostRe: Sky Suspends "Picnic"
by evanswolves » Fri Sep 12, 2008 6:14 pm

I had no idea they were planning on doing this, but glad it isnt going to happen, would ahve missed soccer saturday on sky sports new sooo much


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