British broadcasters Channel 4 have announced that its E4 and Film4 channels will be getting an HD version this summer, but with a small catch, the 2 channels will only be available exclusively for Virgin Media customers!
This is pretty bad news for the soon to be released freeview HD service as the big selling point of HD will be severely hampered by not having the 2 channel 4 offerings.
There is no official launch date for Virgin’s 2 new HD channels but as with the current HD channels available on Virgin Media, you will probably need to be on the Virgin Media XL package to enjoy the HD glory.
Channel 4 is financed by advertising revenue, it is still publicly owned and considered a public service broadcaster. Film 4 is currently available free-to-air on Freeview. To be able to enjoy Channel 4 HD, you’ll need to fork out for Virgin Media.
- So it is a bit of a bold move by Virgin Media to go straight for an exclusivity deal and is likely to anger many Freeview, BT and Sky subscribers.
Virgin Media’s current HD line-up is pretty sparse but with its 2 new additions it is becoming clear that Virgin is very serious about the future of HD TV.
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Tags: Channel 4, E4, Film4, Freeview, HD, media, sky, Virgin
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