I don't have any pics of babes with their norks out to add...
But, as it's the current news, I thought I'd put some Freeview thoughts up for discussion.
(Who said "lame"...?!
)
First, why is FV important to the babe channels...
I think it's fairly plain that part of BS's dominance is undoubtedly due to their finances allowing them to enjoy a monopoly on FV. (Restraints to how many channels can be broadcast through a regular TV aerial has led to FV carriage costs being far higher than those for other platforms. However technological changes and less demand has reduced prices somewhat in recent times.)
BS's FV slots enables them to reach a more substantial viewing audience than all the other operators can. Digital take-up in this country is currently something like 96%; 76% of homes have Freeview, 61% have Sky. However, the divergence between those homes with
just Freeview and those with Sky is larger than those figures seem, as 34% of homes have
only FV.* That gives BS a huge advantage over the rest of the operators, particularly because babe channel viewers/caller are, by all appearances, a particularly lazy intransigent bunch! (In other words, they are creatures of habit that don't like to move from their couches for their midnight wanks when the wife's in bed!
)
This diagram shows a breakdown of who watches by what in the UK:
https://ukfree.tv/article/1107052089/How...homes_are_ (Unfortunately this uses figures the end of 2012 but it displays the data quite graphically.)
Some nice anecdotal evidence of FV's reach into a far bigger audience than Sky's was seen just by the number of posters on the BS thread that didn't even know who Kerrie-Lee was until she moved to BS!
FV's importance to BS can also be seen in the fact that last year they apparently moved their much-vaunted NICAM broadcasting licence (one that allows them to screen content slightly stronger than that allowed by the cheaper Ofcom licence) to cover specific parts of their FV broadcasts exclusively. Presumably this move was intended to focus their audience on to a platform where, crucially, they had ZERO competition.
As for 66... I would think they may see a return to FV as again establishing themselves as at least having the
possibility of competing with BS on a somewhat levelled playing field once again - as well as consolidating their place as supposed 'second operator' amongst the UK babe channels (although I'm sure there is a much argument to be had there as ever
). Particularly as it comes at a time when RLC is returning to the Sky epg.
* All 2014 figures. In comparison only 30% were using just satellite.