Channel One is no more.
Channel owners BSkyB pulled the plug on the channel in the early hours of the 1st of February 2011, as part of a number of branding changes for the Sky portfolio of channels.
The channel was originally known as Virgin 1 until Sky purchased it from Virgin. Channel One showed a number of top US shows including the various versions of Star Trek, and geeky spy drama Chuck. Many of these shows will still be available on the Sky platform on the new Sky Living channel, which launched on Sky on the 1st of February.
Channel One was one of the free channels forming the Freeview lineup – it’s been replaced on the Freeview lineup by quiz show Challenge.
Got a comment on the demise of Channel One? Have your say below
February 1st, 2011 at 9:53 am
typical of the murdoch empire – if you don’t like the competition, buy it out and shut it down.
February 1st, 2011 at 10:54 am
i think this is shocking and a disapointmet. why has this channel not been replaced with a simlar type of channel instead of a quiz show.
February 1st, 2011 at 11:43 am
No wonder the quality of programmes had gone down and the good ones were being moved to other subscription channels. It all comes down to squeezing more money out of the general public. Where are we going to get our Star Trek fix now!
February 1st, 2011 at 12:47 pm
Typical murdoch if u aint a sky subscriber he aint going to give you anything for free! This is just another example of his money grabbing empire! It does mean that freeview loses another ‘entertainment’ channel at a time when we are all being encouraged to move to freeview!! why bother of they switch the analogue signal off save the cost of your tv licence!!
February 1st, 2011 at 1:11 pm
val: CBS ACTION is showing star trek DS9 at the moment (on freesat, so maybe no help!)
February 1st, 2011 at 1:50 pm
This is really not fair… Sucker people in with a freeview offering and then take it away… All part of the plan to get us to subscribe to the ‘new’ channel offerings on sky… Channels made available to freeview should have some contractual obligation to go on providing that service for a reasonable period of time – in yearly increments perhaps?
There is an increasing disparity between those who can and are willing to splash out an extra £20-50 a month on TV packages and those who can’t or won’t…
New markers of ‘poverty’ are becoming apparent daily in UK life… That is to say, if you have no smart phone contract (£50/month), landline/high speed broadband (£20-£50/month), television package (£20-£50/month) you are ostensibly poor… This is a sick state when that adds up to £150 to normal monthly outgoings including around £100/month council tax, ££££rent, £££ gas/electricity, ££water, £tv license, transport, food, etc before entertainment, holidays, socialising – let alone having kids or dependents…
What is wrong with this country!?
February 1st, 2011 at 2:21 pm
I didn’t even know about this until the channel disappeared. What’s OFCOM doing about all this? What a great shame to lose my Star Trek shows.
February 1st, 2011 at 2:27 pm
Best bet is to watch everything online theres loads of free sites showing your fav. shows and itll pee off all the satellite/cable corps. give ‘em a taste of their own medicine.
February 1st, 2011 at 2:33 pm
I now see the death of terrain TV, freeview was a sop to the masses, the term freeview meant what it said but as we all can see if you create a following for a programme type, then take it off to one of the paid for platform channels if you want to find out what happens you have to pay, Sky will not be satisfied until all viewing is provided by them or we all go back to reading books. (perhaps thats not such a bad idea.)
February 1st, 2011 at 2:43 pm
Thanks for the advanced notice murdoch (or lack thereof). Well thats just about a third of my tv entertainment gone. Back to watching rubbish repeats of friends scrubs and top gear.
February 1st, 2011 at 2:44 pm
[quote]New markers of ‘poverty’ are becoming apparent daily in UK life… That is to say, if you have no smart phone contract (£50/month), landline/high speed broadband (£20-£50/month), television package (£20-£50/month) you are ostensibly poor… This is a sick state when that adds up to £150 to normal monthly outgoings including around £100/month council tax, ££££rent, £££ gas/electricity, ££water, £tv license, transport, food, etc before entertainment, holidays, socialising – let alone having kids or dependents…
What is wrong with this country!?
[/quote]
21st centery salves baby get used to it
February 1st, 2011 at 3:02 pm
It’s pretty shocking to just pull the channel with no prior warning or information, but there are other worthwhile things to do in life apart from watching TV. For those that disagree, go to http://www.justin.tv/directory/entertainment, there are plenty of people streaming most of the shows that were on this channel.
February 1st, 2011 at 3:25 pm
This is really disappointing. There are already too many quiz shows without having a whole extra channel of them! Channel One brought some balance to day time TV on Freeview, especially for people who like science fiction programmes. I think there needs to be a new channel on Freeview offering that genre during the daytime.
February 1st, 2011 at 3:45 pm
So we just wait while Scumdoch byes each half-decent channel one-by-one? Aren’t there any fair competition rules as regards TV broadcasting? This is like Toyota commencing the buy-out of all car companies.
February 1st, 2011 at 4:09 pm
I was a big fan of Channel One especially on the freeview tv, as I loved watching Star Trek. Well It’s there loss if they want to turn of broadcasting and turn away customers viewing a very popular channel. I am so angry
February 1st, 2011 at 5:16 pm
I am extremely disappointed with the lack of notice and the lack of input from viewers to freeview channel changes. It was one of the better channels with something for everyone and replacing it with a channel of quiz shows is just poor. It seems to be an incessant action to manipulate people into getting subscription tv. I and many others don’t want hundreds of channels to wade through at an extortionate price to watch a reasonable choice of programmes. It will be interesting to see what freeview channels are on offer in 5 years and what programmes will be on them. I guess we’ll be watching repeats of the first three series of programmes that are in their 10+ series that have been monopolised by the pay channels….oh wait……
February 1st, 2011 at 5:17 pm
It was with a sense of shock bordering on a terminal infarction that I became aware of the sad disappearance of Channel One. Imagine the scene, if you will, I am dressed in my Star Trek uniform waiting to see the great Kirk and his gallant spacemen friends when matron came in and told me the news. Words fail me. How could Mr Heath allow this to happen? Now that I am not allowed to see The Magic Roundabout any more what am I to do? Read books pray or even take up a hobby such as knitting? Such things I would suggest should not be allowed. I am not a religious man but were able I should wish to have a word in the ear of a holy man and see what he could do about it all.
February 1st, 2011 at 5:17 pm
What a start to 2011 so far!!! We’ve had a serious flood thrre times! We’ve also had an attack of serious mould, destroying a new carpet and new wardrobes! We’ve had two deaths in the family! And the only decent family entertainment channel has been axed!!! We purchased a brand new Freeview TV + HD box in November last year soley to watch all the free channells and we’ve seen many of the channells disappear – swallowed up by Sky!!!
Did you know that part of your TV licence subsidises SKY??? Bet you didn’t!!!
Totally p****d off with it all right now! Murdoch – I hope you sleep well at nights…FAT CATS usually do!!!!
February 1st, 2011 at 5:30 pm
No More Trek!!
ARRRGGGGGHHHH!!!!
February 1st, 2011 at 5:38 pm
rip freeview you were once a good choise of channels now you are just a load of quiz channels and old repeats. the last of the good channels has been killed off before its time
February 1st, 2011 at 5:48 pm
The more this kind of stuff happens and the choice for free to view diminishes, the more people will just illegally download.
This is typical bully boy tactics by the Murdoch Empire. I hope someone hacks the SKY boxes so all their revenue is lost.
February 1st, 2011 at 6:16 pm
FreeView what you doing.. you’re having a bubble bath channel one was great i’m now gonna miss some top shows.. and what you replace it with Quiz Channel.. QUIZZ QUIZZ your having alaugh.. why not put a channel on which was like channel one more film channels.. such as channels like film4 even channels with comedy and get rid of all the dirty channels like babestation etc etc thats a rip off get rid of rabbit nobody with freeview gonna get sky or virgin media people dont have the money..think about us not yourself.
February 1st, 2011 at 6:22 pm
If Murdoch thinks this will make people subscribe to Sky he’s wrong. I used to have it but then realised I spent most of my time flicking through the channels. Anything half-decent from Sky is on YouTube anyway.
Triwinian – Is it really true that our TV license subsidised Sky?
February 1st, 2011 at 6:39 pm
Murdoch try’s to dominate all media when are we going to put a stop to this! the heart has just been pulled out of Freeview perhaps it should be renamed used to be Freeview!
February 1st, 2011 at 6:43 pm
This is bad news. Someone with great influance should tell Murdoch Enough is Enough. Stop being so greedy for money and power. He wants to dominate world media by buying everybody out. I was a sky subscriber for the first 15 months when it was launched and after a while i was fed up of re-runs. Save your money, you can stream online almost anything you want.
February 1st, 2011 at 6:49 pm
Whilst it is a disappointment that Channel One is gone in fairness it was announced some time back. I first heard about it in the forums on digitalspy.co.uk back in November. I didn’t watch much channel One just Criminal Minds really but to replace it with “Challenge TV” is disgrace. Even by freeviews standards this is a crappy channel, most nights prime time consists of “Classic Who Wants to be a Millionaire” do me a favour please! It really seems that freeview is on the slide big time I worry about how it will look 12 months from now.
February 1st, 2011 at 7:04 pm
Guess I’m just gonna have to watch Trek online from other sources. Massive fail there Sky. Massive massive fail.
February 1st, 2011 at 7:14 pm
The only reason I watch this channel is to see Voyager. Its a liberty the channel has gone especially with Voyager so close to the final episode.
Typical of that w****e Murdock. to do something like this and not a hint that he would. I would not give that creep the pickings from my toenails, hes not good enough.
Freeview is so full of c r a p, at this rate it will not be worth bothering with at all
February 1st, 2011 at 7:22 pm
I think whats happed here is that Murdoch has woken up to the fact that he cannot stop digital terrestrial TV nor can he influence it’s direction in short he can’t win. So we can expect to see more wrecking tactics. Lets face it with terrestrial digital TV no more lost viewing when it snows, rains or it’s too windy. We were told oh no you can’t have Hi-def through your aerial oh look now we have.
I don’t know whats happening in the rest of Europe perhaps we should invite other countries to bring some of their talent to UK channels (Murdoch can’t have bought up the rights for star trek every where).
February 1st, 2011 at 7:55 pm
It’s clear he didn’t buy Virgin 1 to expand his business. He bought it as part of continuous campaign to systematically destroy freeview and in doing so get more people to subscribe to Sky.
This should be illegal.
February 1st, 2011 at 8:10 pm
It is a big disappointment to lose this channel to be replaced by even more rubbish on Freeview.
This still will not make me subscribe to Murdoch’s evil empire
as I remember how he ripped us off in the 90s with the digital switchover,we lost £250 when our box became obsolete and the loss of Sky one which he said would always be free to air ,but he reneged on that one as well.
Deja Vu .
It would be nice if someone shot his satellite down or even better,people unsubscribed till they got a fair deal from the hated Murdoch.
February 1st, 2011 at 8:16 pm
Why are all freeview channels, especially good ones getting phased out, not all of us have the pleasure of paying for a tv licence then paying between
February 1st, 2011 at 8:24 pm
Why is it that Sky TV is being allowed to dominate ?, they charge us to view programs that they already get paid for by the advertising that they carry, I decided to cancel my Sky subscription for this reason, but why cant we have all these channels that carry adverts on Freeview or Freesat ?. As for the loss of Channel One I for one am missing it, I knew nothing until this morning when I put in 20 on the remote and found it has stopped broadcasting… Sky has got to be controlled so as we get more choice of where we can get our TV channels from, More channels on Freeview and Freesat please, We cannot afford the Sky subscriptions and I will not be going back to these con-artists…
February 1st, 2011 at 8:30 pm
Hasn’t Murdoch and Co got enough money? Last picture of him I saw made me think he hasn’t got long. Maybe he thinks he can take it with him! He want’s to leave some room in his luggage for his camel and needle!!!
This is just a taste of what we can expect from Freeview. I would rather have no TV at all than pay for Sky and I love TV, so there Mr M! Maybe people will read more, sounds like a good excuse for the government to increase tax on books by several hundred percent.
Rant off.
February 1st, 2011 at 8:44 pm
I subscribed to Virgin media just before xmas,(2010) loving channel 1. Now they’ve sold out to sky! B…tards. I got rid of sky last year cos they got to expensive.
Regards
F..K..G T.ATS
February 1st, 2011 at 8:48 pm
I think its an absolute disgrace that sky have done this i enjoyed watching channel 1 apparantly skys reason for this is something to do with ch1 showing the same programmes as sky1 rubbish i also read today the same programmes as sky3 strange i’ve never seen star trek or x-files on sky3 its nothing to do with that sky just dont the like competition and oh wot a surprise sky are now showing star trek on there new channel sky atlantic shame on you sky… I for 1 would never be a sky customer!!!
February 1st, 2011 at 9:09 pm
The removal of one of the few decent Freeview channels and replacement by yet another space-waster with no substantive programming is a disgrace, but on the part of BBC and OFCOM. Murdoch’s Sky is the animal that it is, wolfing down whatever it can eat, but BBC and OFCOM have a duty to make sure that the licence fee paying public, who have been forced to buy into Freeview by purchasing receivers or new tvs, are provided with a sufficient choice of programming. By sufficient I mean in terms of quality within individual channels but also in terms of breadth of choice, so that insult isnt added to injury by pushing the same people into Sky/Virgin etc subscriptions.
Allowing Sky to buy up the Virgin channels (part of the whole ‘let Virgin broadcast Sky1′ deal, if I recall correctly)in full knowledge of what was likely to happen is a massive failure on the part of the supposed champions of the licence-paying public.
February 1st, 2011 at 9:54 pm
It was one of the best channels on Freeview.
Everyone has their own taste and some will love the quiz channel but most won’t, in effect its one less channel.
I fully support Freeview as a concept but if a few better channels don’t start then it will slide into oblivion.
Is it me or … I have some access to Sky channels – basically freesat channels and so may not be representative of them all but are there even more ads on these channels than the standard Freeview ones and with a Sky subscription aren’t you kind of paying to watch ads? I am a throwback I’m sure but I also won’t pay to wear clothes with makers names on them – its taking work away from the old sandwich-board guys. :-)
February 1st, 2011 at 11:05 pm
absolutely disgusting. First they replace sky sports news with sky 3 plus one (yeah thanks for that) and now pull channel 1! I for one will never get sky but they should provide another channel free. How about sky sports 1! Lol.
February 2nd, 2011 at 3:36 am
I think this throws down the gauntlet to Mr Branson as the only business man who might take on Mr Murdoch.
February 2nd, 2011 at 5:17 am
Now im pissed off i hate all these greedy money hunger b*******, i loved treky and now i’d have to pay to watch something that was made years ago….
February 2nd, 2011 at 10:34 am
This is a follow on from Liebours, get rich quick schemes and social testing. Next time you get a cold where do you think it comes from? Note how when the ‘swine flu’ begins they start pushing the vaccines and medications that take years to produce and test. Easy money, if I had that much foresight I would be rich as well by now.
They are all the same, governments, drug co’s, BBC full of experts, and yes Sky. Why are they called Sky! Because they are up their, us down here and you can guess where their s**t goes.
February 2nd, 2011 at 11:16 am
Star Trek is available on freesat on one of the CBS channels. Currently showing the original series (in widescreen) and ds9. It’s better than nothing & they’re also showing Boston Legal, one of my all time favs.
February 2nd, 2011 at 11:35 am
Yet another good freeview channel gone. I agree with everyone else; who the devil wants yet another quiz programme? There is enough rubbish on TV as it is. Why do away with a decent set of programmes?
February 2nd, 2011 at 11:59 am
no surprising that people downloading series instead of watching them on TV. I did watch channel one despite the tons of ads but. Now no way I can’t watch TV anymore and vote for alternative way to get my star trek fix.
February 2nd, 2011 at 12:39 pm
Typical murdoch if you won’t pay a sky subscription he won’t give you anything for free! OFCOM take note SKY suppresses choice unless you are prepared to pay them silly amounts of money. This is another example of his money grabbing empire!
February 2nd, 2011 at 12:58 pm
It’s been TIMED to try to turn free watchers into subscribers.
This is why a nonchalant sales minion from virgin called me up couple of days ago and tried to get me to agree to take the phone and the TV package as well as the internet (no extra cost – honest guv).
I got the carrot and then I got the stick.
Feels like I’ve been felt up by some dirty old boardroom mumbler.
Creepy…
February 2nd, 2011 at 1:15 pm
Getting a bit bored of the Trek anyway. Criminal minds was often good though – if a bit silly.
Chuck made me angry. Spies aren’t nice and they’re not funny. They’re backstabbers and treacherous swine. And the Fresh Prince was just mostly jiggerish to me. Why’s he supposed to be ‘fresh’ anyway? What the hell does that even mean?
What else was on there… don’t think I used to watch anything else.
Oh well… bye bye channel one. I’ll miss you a little bit.
Virgin one was a better name, too.
February 2nd, 2011 at 1:32 pm
typical of the murdoch empire – if you don’t like the competition, buy it out and shut it down.
i agree with the above comment
i was an early viewer on cable at the start of it all and found it was at reasonable costs – then sky came along and bought out the competition (film channels etc) and rebranded them as sky movies etc. i then ditched the whole cable thing because of murdock and rising costs
then freeview came along and i watched that and then freesat came along and i watched that
now virging tv has gone and now channel one has gone- the nice murdock business wants it all
doesn’t look like its enough for the murdock empire get control of the airwaves and broadacst on it – murdock wants us to pay for all our tv entertainment, plus watch the murdock enforced approved adverts
ha ha i have news for them
they will never ever get any more of my cash and if everybody took the same view
bring it on i say and lets see if they are still around in another 5 years
the murcock empire will crash and burn in the end
February 2nd, 2011 at 1:34 pm
typical of the murdoch empire – if you don’t like the competition, buy it out and shut it down.
we can all get by without murdock owned tv
goodbye them
February 2nd, 2011 at 1:36 pm
sorry – I mean to type ‘jibberish’ above and not ‘jiggerish’ which isn’t even a word – just jibberish…
I’m jabbering.
February 2nd, 2011 at 1:43 pm
“Christopher Crossley Says:
February 1st, 2011 at 5:17 pm
It was with a sense of shock bordering on a terminal infarction that I became aware of the sad disappearance of Channel One. Imagine the scene, if you will, I am dressed in my Star Trek uniform waiting to see the great Kirk and his gallant spacemen friends when matron came in and told me the news. Words fail me. How could Mr Heath allow this to happen? Now that I am not allowed to see The Magic Roundabout any more what am I to do? Read books pray or even take up a hobby such as knitting? Such things I would suggest should not be allowed. I am not a religious man but were able I should wish to have a word in the ear of a holy man and see what he could do about it all.”
This made me laugh out loud! Crossley esquire should seriously consider a career as a teller of diverting tales and missives. Perhaps he could even find employment on one of these new-fangled wireless crystal set transmissions?
February 2nd, 2011 at 5:10 pm
murdoch suck … i was really used to use that Chanel. i think i have got to use the internet now to catch up with my favorite shows
February 2nd, 2011 at 5:13 pm
It should be illegal to buy a freeview channel just to effectively scrap it.
February 2nd, 2011 at 6:00 pm
Trekkies with broadband that can stream might survive… but is there any hope for the rest of us with a snail connection? If anyone knows of a solution let the rest of us know!
February 2nd, 2011 at 6:19 pm
Channel One had some of the only decent programmes still available for free. Now what is there? But more cheap game shows, chat shows, reality shows and boring English productions about villages whose only industry is weekly murders in flower borders!
And what..no warning to faithful viewers??! Just pulling the plug shows such a lack of respect to the public its just another egotistical greedy corporate move.
February 2nd, 2011 at 7:48 pm
wha t a load of bullsh..t. im never gonna buy a virgin product again, nor any of skys either. to pull star trek from our hearts and minds so suddenly and without warning made me physically ill, im disgusted with virgin and sky for their greed and disrespect to millions of loyal fans who have now been left in limbo.i hope sky and virgin get some seriously bad press over this…
February 2nd, 2011 at 9:12 pm
What a plonker – it’s all money money money. I worked for Sky in Ibrox and they treat their employes like sh*t, there’s not even windows in that call centre neither could we do anythnig for the customers that complained – it was a buffer zone so the bigwigs didnae have to hear anything against them. Channel ones afternoon starttrek was a treat for all of us, as well as the many other alternative type shows. I think it’s time someone pulled the plug on murdoch
February 2nd, 2011 at 9:31 pm
once again sci fi bites the dust! (I remember what channel 4 did to babylon 5 or bbc2 with saab or even itv with seaquest DSV all ways the same story!)
AND THE LIGHTS WANT OUT ACROSS THE UNIVERSE!
February 2nd, 2011 at 10:51 pm
Typical of Sky,if they can`t control it,buy it out and then close it down.So,on Freeview we now only get Sky 3 and Sky news.I believe these too, are to be withdrawn in the not too distant future.So,apart from the normal terrestrial channels +ITV 2,3 and 4 and BBC3 and 4,the only decent channels left are DAVE and Quest,but I can only watch so much of Mock the week,QI and Have I got news for you,and I have watched so much American Hotrod and Orange County Chopper that I could build my own hot Rod or Choppper.I will never subscibe to Sky,no matter what
February 3rd, 2011 at 12:09 am
SOMEONE AT SKY TOOK THE BLUE PILL!
February 3rd, 2011 at 1:19 pm
I agree with all the above. I liked to watch prison break, sky brought it out same with lost, that ****** murdoch brought all the good shows, so we’d all switch to sky. It ain’t gonna happen ever. oh by the way when i was with sky and i unsubscribed they told me I still owed £400 pounds,
February 3rd, 2011 at 4:09 pm
Just another example of why Private Eye Magazine always called Rupert Murdoch “The Dirty Digger” Most people think of the Digger as a Publisher with Political interests. Hes actually clearly a right wing politician with publishing interests. His hobbies include interfering in politics, grooming Junior Digger so he can take over daddies nasty little empire and of course Money, though not necessarily in that order. Its true that DD is a peddler of trash, soft porn and very biased views and its also true that part of the license fee is paid to murdoch via BskyB which he is currently trying to get majority control of. If you dont like balanced news you can always watch Sky News or the Fox Network which doesnt contain any. I suppose he would even put Mother Theresa behind a Pay Wall if he could.
February 3rd, 2011 at 8:14 pm
Just done my bit and have cancelled my subscripcion to Sky (have to give 31 days notice that was not in the agreament I SIGNED). The only way that sky will act is we subsribing.
February 3rd, 2011 at 8:23 pm
Hi-ya to anyone who can answer this !!.. Does anyone with Freesat have a problem with the now and next tv banner on on the bottom of the screen ?.., it keeps saying No events available.. Freesat say they dont have a problem but it works ok with my old Sky box… thanks…
February 3rd, 2011 at 11:22 pm
Mr Murdock should invest his money saved by scrapping channel one in getting some much needed pr for his daughter in law Sarah, after her disastrous and stupid announcement of the wrong Australian top model last year…
http://www.triplem.com.au/sydney/funny-stuff/news/blog/top-model-live-tv-fail/20100929-9zmq.html
all the money in the world cant buy you good publicity.. i for one am missing criminal minds, it was my wed night fix..what goes around comes around
February 3rd, 2011 at 11:42 pm
To receive freeview we need an extra high antenna – we are told that when analogue switches off that the freeview signal wiil be strengthened as it is currently much reduced so that it does not affect the analogue. If this eventually works as well as digital radio here then a total waste of time! Switching off virgin1 is probably the start of a process that will leave BBC1 and 2 plus ITV1 with lots of shopping chanels. So then your TV is a waste of space because it may only work as a PC monitor. While not being the ultimate pessimist I suggest get a decent PC and use broadband to watch the news (You already can) and download films (does not cost much) so that with watching the sport (foreign free web sites) you can throw away your TV Licience. By the tine this happens it will be too late for anyone to fix by law changes so think ahead! PC + LCD Projector + White drop down screen + enhanced audio will be far better than anything now used. Everyone has broadband and a PC or 2 so probably a savinng and a better overall carbon foot print!
February 4th, 2011 at 1:32 pm
Challenge is not a replacement for Channel One. TV isnt about good quality programming anymore its about business. One of these days I’m going to switch off altogether.
February 4th, 2011 at 4:32 pm
Freeview is gradually losing its channels. What next? Five USA? Is this part of a subtle ploy to get us to move over to subscription services?
February 4th, 2011 at 4:36 pm
Now where am I gonna watch Fresh Prince of Bel Air?
February 5th, 2011 at 9:55 pm
I thought we had laws in this country preventing de facto monopolies from eliminating their competition by buying them out and shutting them down? It seems patently obvious that Sky are deliberately degrading Freeview by not only buying up and then closing down Channel 1 but also filling the limited Freeview slots with rubbish: not only Sky3 (just absolute rubbish – does anybody ever watch ANYTHING on that channel???) but also the beyond-pointless Sky3 + 1!!! This is a pretty thinly veiled abuse of their dominant position purely to disadvantage their competition, IMHO.
Furthermore it appears to be rumoured that Sky have secured the rights to the next series of Mad Men. How many popular shows have Sky stolen now from non-subscription channels? Stargate, Nip/Tuck, Lost, Prison Break… I think there should definitely be regulations vetoing later series of a successful show being shown exclusively on subscription channels *AFTER* its success has been established on a non-subscription channel. Fair enough that a subscription channel should be able to secure the rights to be the first to show the next series, but not exclusive rights when they didn’t do any of the heavy-lifting that made the show popular in the first place.
Finally, Sky’s effective monopoly of satellite broadcasting should be addressed by forcing them to split off the media operations (ie the part that creates and sells all the Sky TV packages to consumers) into a separate company from the broadcast platform operation (ie the part that owns and operates the satellite infrastructure that transmits the TV channels). That would at least enable other media companies to offer rival TV channel packages = REAL competition.
I seriously think these issues need to be brought to the attention of OFCOM or the Minister responsible for media. Then again, with the Tories so cosy with Murdoch, it does seem rather unlikely that they will stand in his way. Shame old Vince blew his chances…
February 6th, 2011 at 9:03 am
it was one of my fav channels stoped cos rupert wanted the shows on a pay channels, when everone HAS digital tv with all these FREE channels how long will it be before the plug is plugged on a few and stick em on pay up or else, pity old rupert dont have to answer to any one, i think more folk should do what the pub landlord did and get tv from europe ruperts coffers would shrink.
February 6th, 2011 at 9:20 am
lets all get tv from europe and stuff old rupert, if some people dont stand up and complain sky will run the lot there wont be any channels on FREE view worth watching as old rupert will buy the good uns, should be clauses stating if you buy a channel you have to run it as is, not stop with no notice or rub it down. this stinks the pub land lord down portsmouth way has the right idear
February 6th, 2011 at 12:42 pm
stinks of a political decision to me.Murdoch is held to account over his monopoly on tv and the news of the world phone tapping.he then holds the public hostage for his services tic for tac reminding us the general public who hold the strings.
February 6th, 2011 at 7:33 pm
I can’t believe this has happenend! Channel1 was my favourite of all the channels! I am really going to miss watcing StarTrek TNG. I also liked X Files but that was removed before the channel stopped. Challenge TV is rubbish! They are just trying to save money buy replacing a decent channel with a cheaper one and forcing people to buy Sky so they can watch what they want! grrrrrrrrrrrr I won’t be doing that, Ill just have to watch Star Trek online from now on! Nice try, Murdoch but you won’t be getting a penny of my money! lol
February 7th, 2011 at 12:01 pm
The free market is supposed to benefit the consumer, not cost them more to see the stuff that they already had, which is all Sky has ever done.
February 7th, 2011 at 2:32 pm
Once again the greedy SKY Bosses robb us again.
I would never be held to ransom by being a SKY Customer
I hope the merger also falls through
February 7th, 2011 at 6:43 pm
Sky is a business that is taking over the TV world. I for one will not subscribe to its huge coffers. Why was Virgin 1 allowed to be sold to Sky in the first place. So how much more of Freeview will be closed to Sky ? WIll Freeview survive, will there be anything else left to watch??
February 7th, 2011 at 7:18 pm
Another nail in the coffin of freedom of choice.
Maybe Sky got the hump over the likely decision over the cost of their ‘services’ to the pubs etc and decided to try and screw more money from the home consumer. Nothing new then!
OFCOM are too scared to take on the pay for view Sky monopoly.
At least we still have the home channels for a laugh!!
February 8th, 2011 at 8:12 am
Well thats just typical of Murdoch’s Sky – monopoly is the word, so its goodbye to Star Trek. It makes me sad but also mad – as usual its all about money and control.
February 9th, 2011 at 3:02 pm
Murdoch Monopoly – what else is he going to take over????? As usual its all about money and control – what happened to the consumer choice – apparently there is none – if murdoch doesn’t like it then nobody else is allowed to!!!!! Grrrr
February 9th, 2011 at 11:33 pm
Freeview is going down hill fast. Sky sports news replaced by sky 3 +1 and now this challenge tat! Where can i watch medium now!
February 10th, 2011 at 12:18 am
Has anyone tried ‘Quest’ on Channel 38 on Freeview? They show some American
shows. ‘The FBI Files’ is on now. No sign of ‘Star Trek’ in their schedules
yet, but who knows?…unless Murdoch has bought the sole rights to show it.
BTW…before all this digital nonsense started, all the ‘Star Trek’ series
were exclusive to BBC2. I don’t suppose there is any chance of the BBC getting
them back?
February 11th, 2011 at 12:37 am
All of the above is true. I was with Sky for 18 years left that and went to virgin broadband but they don’t have cable here so had a freeview box. used to watch virgin all the time. yes typical murdoch becoming a monopoly. OFCOM should step in. I pay the stupid TV licence which has gone up again. But i generally haven’t watched TV for about 2 years. I hate the adverts and the series are so old as compared to other countries. Have seen the whole of S4 of Burn notice for instance and in the UK Season3 DVD hasn’t even come out yet only Region 1 USA has. All the latest series, 30 Rock, Hawaii 50 remake (just seen S01E16), parenthood which started in US in March 2010 gr8 series like gilmore girls and friends genre, big bang theory, 2&halfmen, mentalist, so many more directly streamed to TV.If you pay for Sky it still is not the latest episodes.
February 11th, 2011 at 3:41 am
think that the new channel Challenge TV is ok but its a joke that in wales we only get it from 6am till 7pm should b same as everyone else.freeview just got nuthing good on it dont no why sky cant just let us have some of there channels not going harm no one plus sky only for the football really.
February 11th, 2011 at 6:55 pm
This is SO unfair.
there was so many great shows on there!!
Supernatural, Startreck, Medium and more.
They have to bring this channel back. I was up to Season 2 on Supernatural, but sky shows season 6!
and the cheek of replacing it with a quiz show. As if there isn’t enough of them going around already!
February 11th, 2011 at 8:59 pm
my daughter loved watched supernatural. I loved Medium, Friday nights just aren’t the same. There’s nothing to wind down the week with!
February 13th, 2011 at 7:43 pm
I am very disappointed that Channel 1 have stopped broadcasting. I loved watching Voyager, Star Trek TNG and Enterprise! I suppose I’m just going to have to ‘get a life’!
February 15th, 2011 at 1:18 pm
Star Trek loved by many people, I am gutted that it is no longer there. Came back off holidays no Star Trek, afternoons never the same again.
February 17th, 2011 at 9:33 pm
So everyone is p****d off, is anyone going to lead a fight via facebook or in main stream media? Or is this one of the many things that happen in the uk we bend over and take it without a fight??? Petrol, taxes, cost of living……
February 19th, 2011 at 11:29 pm
Good by to proper programs :( No more Nothing to Declare… No Star Trek… So Sad :(
February 23rd, 2011 at 6:53 pm
Its all very good to the people that actualy have sky, but what about the rest with free view, we get left with bad channels!
February 26th, 2011 at 12:40 am
That as***** Murdoch can close as many channels as he wants, I will never subscribe to that dross Sky. Freeview is a joke now, so much so that I have thrown my box in the bin. As for Freesat, no comment. I am just glad I have 100s of DVDs to watch and if I want the latest news, that is what the PC is for.
March 2nd, 2011 at 10:33 am
Is it true that Murdoch is really going to market this channel using the slogan: “Challenge – for the mentally challenged!”?
March 13th, 2011 at 11:43 pm
Crap I liked that channel ain’t life a bitch!
March 31st, 2011 at 8:52 pm
I watched channel one more than any other, loved the star trek and now there is nothing to replace it. Really miffed.
May 5th, 2011 at 12:13 am
‘Star Trek’ and ‘The X-Files’ now appear on Sky Atlantic. Are such shows now
lost to those of us who can’t or won’t access Sky?