Next linear channel to close?

[Brekkie]

By "useless" you mean doesn't appeal to you.

[Brekkie]

It won't close though - at most it'll rebrand. Didn't realise they'd ditched music in the afternoons too - seems to be music from 7am-12noon on weekdays and until 2pm on weekdays, then from 2.50am overnight (not sure if they have Teleshopping too).

Arguably though 4Music ditching music videos in favour of programming is an argument that linear channels still have a place when most of their content is available as boxsets from All4.

[PATV Scunthorpe]

I don't think 4Music would close either, as I always say when this debate comes up, of course Channel 4 own the company that own and operate 4Music, The Box Plus Network. (Even if they're getting further incorporated since the full acquisition)

For Box Plus, 4Music is their flagship channel, and I doubt they'd want to it to go. After all, it's a music network and all the original programming made is music programming, which while it's shown across the network is often made with 4Music in mind, whether that's the VoiceOver work on the UKHotlist, or the filming of Box Fresh shows.

[Hybrid]

5Select or Paramount Network have got to be quite likely. Paramount in particular doesn't really have much of a purpose other than screening endless repeats of Police Interceptors and Traffic Cops.

4Music is a possible candidate as well.

4Music is pretty useless, it's basically 4Seven for E4. It's only had 5 original programmes. I don't really think people watch it for music these days, as it makes up a relatively small amount of its broadcast hours.

To be honest, I only watch it for repeats of old comedies like The IT Crowd.

I would expect 5Select and POP Max to close next.

Both channels have bombshell ratings. 5Select is useless. Literally just repeats. I know that's the point of the channel but people can just use My5. The same could be said about 4seven as well. Pop Max is just POP with a different name and lower ratings. They never should've rebranded from KIX and took the channel off Freeview. I also have another channel that I don't think they should close but they need a change. 5USA. It's almost all just NCIS and Law and Order repeats. Maybe a bit more variety and new content would do the channel some good.

[gottago]

On the topic of ViacomCBS, I'm surprised that they haven't done anything with the CBS branded channels co-owned with AMC Networks after the Viacom/CBS remerger as CBS no longer needs a broadcasting partner and then move some of the programming to the 5-branded channels. I've had a quick glance at the BARB viewing figures for Paramount Network, it's doing okay, but 5Star and 5USA perform better though.

I don't think this will happen. They're AMC's biggest channels in the UK and as far as I'm aware they're run quite successfully here and internationally, there are also a few CBS Reality original shows as well.

I think the likely future is more pay linear channels will close due to streaming but the companies running those channels will put more emphasis on free-to-air linear channels to replace the lost ad revenue. So I wouldn't be so sure about the suggestions of Freeview channels closing while there are probably quite a few pay channels that are currently seeing out the end of their contracts.

[Rexogamer]

This might be a stretch (they're probably moneymakers) but in all honesty I'm betting on one of those jewellery/shopping channels. I personally would be very happy to see QVC at least demoted on the EPG.

[all new Phil]

I honestly think some of you are way off the mark on this thread. Your 4Sevens and your 5Selects cost peanuts to run and will continue to run whilst they generate ad revenue.

I think we’re a long way off a mass of linear channels closing. TVs are getting there with greater streaming and on-demand built in but it’s far too inconsistent for any broadcaster to fully commit to it and it hasn’t become the norm yet. I bought a telly for my house only a few years back that has no smart capabilities whatsoever. My mum recently bought 2 new tellies for her house that are both smart, but are like chalk and cheese in the difference in how well integrated smart functionality is.

I think we need to have some sort of industry standard of smart integrated with linear before we’ll see more linear channels close in favour of on demand.

[paul_hadley]

London Live surely has to be put out of its misery soon. All it shows is old films and repeats of old sitcoms (Hardware for example). It must have an audience of about 10 people a day (at best).

[AllWillBeWell]

London Live surely has to be put out of its misery soon. All it shows is old films and repeats of old sitcoms (Hardware for example). It must have an audience of about 10 people a day (at best).

I wonder if the channel could be sold and re-named? it does make a good entertainment channel for old movies and series. I know people that watch it only for that.

There will certainly be a bloodbath over the next 5-10 years with a lot of linear channels being closed, they are past it and serve no real purpose once full speed fibre is available in most of the country. The main channels (1-5) I am sure will survive for another 20 years or so along with news channels but I am interested to see what happens to Sky News once the 10 years are up from the sale.

[Brekkie]

London Live surely has to be put out of its misery soon. All it shows is old films and repeats of old sitcoms (Hardware for example). It must have an audience of about 10 people a day (at best).

Yet That's TV survives as well. Sadly it's the cheap as chips channels which will outlive those actually providing some decent content, although in the case of Local TV were the licences not for 10 years? Surely no viable reason to renew the vast majority of them.

[Roger Darthwell]

London Live surely has to be put out of its misery soon. All it shows is old films and repeats of old sitcoms (Hardware for example). It must have an audience of about 10 people a day (at best).

I wonder if the channel could be sold and re-named? it does make a good entertainment channel for old movies and series. I know people that watch it only for that.

There will certainly be a bloodbath over the next 5-10 years with a lot of linear channels being closed, they are past it and serve no real purpose once full speed fibre is available in most of the country. The main channels (1-5) I am sure will survive for another 20 years or so along with news channels but I am interested to see what happens to Sky News once the 10 years are up from the sale.

I think that ultimately linear TV will never die

[TellyWelly]

challenge, literally just the chase with a couple episodes of bullseye at 3am
i could also see every mtv music channel closing down apart from mtv music

[Keith]

London Live surely has to be put out of its misery soon. All it shows is old films and repeats of old sitcoms (Hardware for example). It must have an audience of about 10 people a day (at best).

Yet That's TV survives as well. Sadly it's the cheap as chips channels which will outlive those actually providing some decent content, although in the case of Local TV were the licences not for 10 years? Surely no viable reason to renew the vast majority of them.

With local TV I still wouldn't put it past News UK or GB News to try and buy out That's TV and London Live. They could offer to stick in some regional programming in a few back half hours, which I get the impression would be an improvement on current offerings. Alternatively doing a deal to simulcast on their channels during the daytime, instead of That's TV(?) showing CBS Reality.

In return they'd get coverage on the lucrative Freeview channel 8 in many parts of the UK.

[AllWillBeWell]

London Live surely has to be put out of its misery soon. All it shows is old films and repeats of old sitcoms (Hardware for example). It must have an audience of about 10 people a day (at best).

I wonder if the channel could be sold and re-named? it does make a good entertainment channel for old movies and series. I know people that watch it only for that.

There will certainly be a bloodbath over the next 5-10 years with a lot of linear channels being closed, they are past it and serve no real purpose once full speed fibre is available in most of the country. The main channels (1-5) I am sure will survive for another 20 years or so along with news channels but I am interested to see what happens to Sky News once the 10 years are up from the sale.

I think that ultimaltely linear TV will never die

It could end up like the talking clock. i.e a channel broadcasting but nobody really watches it and it meets a small purpose. But then again rolling news will surely be here to stay. But know knows, technology will change a lot again over the next 10/20 years. We cannot imagine what will be the ultimate nail in the coffin yet!

[Brekkie]

Not sure what the latest stats on "live" TV viewing are. Not that long ago it was still around 90%, but looking at ratings it certainly has fallen further in the last couple of years, but even so the death of linear TV has been greatly exaggerated. You only have to look at Line of Duty pulling in 9m on Sundays to see that - and even with a show with much smaller ratings such as The Circle hovering around 1m has clear benefits in engaging the viewers by playing it out at the same time to all of them than releasing it on demand.


The broadcasters clearly experimenting a bit this year with how to release content - at the beginning of the year virtually all dramas on the BBC and ITV (and It's a Sin on C4) seemed to be released as a box set after the first episode, but they seem to have scaled back on that now. I see C4 are opting to release just the next episode of First Dates Hotel after each episode, a strategy UKTV used to do with Taskmaster - which is great after the first episode, but then each subsequent week you're still waiting a week for the next episode so may as well watch it on linear TV.

And of course Disney+ have largely ignored the boxsetting strategy in favour of weekly releases, meaning they probably only really need one landmark show a quarter rather than something significant every month.