VuTV, co-owned by interactive TV specialist Strategy & Technology and video streaming operator Simplestream, and run by their joint venture Synapse TV, will launch on Freeview channel 238 in September 2013, and will enable a range of premium channels from Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN), A+E Networks, and Turner Broadcasting to be watched via Freeview HD boxes, through pay-as-you-go monthly payments.
Details surrounding the monthly price packages of the channels are currently being kept under wraps, but among the first wave of channels to be made available to internet-connected Freeview HD homes are Nickelodeon, Nicktoons, Nick Jr. Channel, MTV, Comedy Central, BIO, MTV, CNN, HISTORY, H2, Crime & Investigation Network, Cartoon Network, Boomerang and Cartoonito.
VuTV hopes to tap into a new gap in the market presented by internet-connected televisions, by offering consumers a low-cost alternative to traditional pay-TV platforms. Unlike traditional pay-TV providers, VuTV will also offer the digital channels without any long-term contract commitments.
There are now more than 11 million Freeview homes in the UK and the number of homes with Freeview HD on their main television set is believed to be 3.53 million, and growing.
Barb will measure viewing of all VuTV channels in the same way as traditional over-the-air channels, helping to increase the broadcasters' individual ad revenues.
VuTV is said to be the first of a number of services to be powered by Synapse TV, a joint venture between Simplestream and Strategy & Technology.
From MediaWeek:
'Peppa Pig' and Ashton Kutcher coming to Freeview HDAlso, from CNET's Crave blog:
A range of pay-TV channels, including Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, MTV and Cartoonito, will soon be made available to Freeview HD homes outside of any annual subscriptions, via a new TV service called VuTV.
VuTV: to offer a range of pay-TV channels through pay-as-you-go monthly payments
VuTV is hoping to disrupt the status quo when it launches in the UK this autumn through a partnership with Freeview channel 238 and a number of carriage deals.
It will enable a range of premium channels from A+E Networks, Viacom International Media Networks and Turner Broadcasting to be via Freeview HD boxes, through pay-as-you-go monthly payments.
Details surrounding the monthly price packages of the channels are currently being kept under wraps, but among the first wave of channels to be made available to internet-connected Freeview HD homes are Comedy Central (home to Ashton Kutcher's 'Two and a Half Men'), Nickelodeon (home to 'Peppa Pig'), BIO, MTV, CNN, HISTORY, H2, Crime & Investigation Network, Nicktoons, Nick Jr, Cartoon Network, Boomerang and Cartoonito.
VuTV hopes to tap into a new gap in the market presented by internet-connected televisions, by offering consumers a low-cost alternative to traditional pay-TV platforms.
Unlike traditional pay-TV providers, VuTV will also offer the digital channels without any long-term contract commitments.
There are now more than 11 million Freeview homes in the UK and the number of homes with Freeview HD on their main set is believed to be 3.53 million, and growing.
Dan Finch, director of one of VuTV's parent companies, Simplestream, said: "We work with a wide range of broadcasters to stream their linear and on-demand TV to multiple devices. The content owners we engaged with embraced the idea of targeting the Freeview HD market with their portfolio of channels.
"As the public get wiser to connecting up their TVs, and the TVs get smarter, it's a great opportunity for channel providers to tap into the Freeview market and gain access to real-time viewing data of their channels that can be used to help shape their own marketing strategy."
Barb will measure viewing of all VuTV channels in the same way as traditional over-the-air channels, helping to increase the broadcasters' individual ad revenues.
VuTV is said to be the first of a number of services to be powered by Synapse TV, a joint venture between Simplestream and Strategy & Technology.
VuTV brings Comedy Central to Freeview HD via the WebAlso, from Digital Spy:
Voulez vous regardez la TV avec moi? Oui? Then may I suggest, messieurs et mesdames, VuTV, a new service coming soon to Freeview HD that streams premium channels over the Internet.
Wait, hang on un moment -- it streams over the Internet but it's for Freeview HD? Bien sur. VuTV is a collection of channels, including such televisual luminaries as Comedy Central and the History Channel, that's accessed via one channel on the Freeview guide.
You pay upfront -- VuTV hasn't said exactly how, or how much it will cost, but it has promised "a low monthly subscription with no long-term contract". The channels are delivered over the Internet to a second guide that appears when you select channel 238 on your TV, either as standard channels, or on-demand programmes.
It's an interesting model that turns Freeview into a kind of easy jump-off point to many more channels than the current spectrum has room for. The downside is you'd be flicking between different TV guides, which could be confusing, especially when you're trying to figure out what's on later.
YouView offers something similar, with channels and on-demand shows delivered over the Internet, but featuring in the same TV guide as normal Freeview channels. Seeing it all together side by side makes it really easy to use, which is a problem VuTV will have to overcome.
Premium channels
So which channels will VuTV offer? Comedy Central is probably the biggest deal, with The Daily Show, Anger Management, Big Bad World and wall-to-wall Friends. Others on offer are the sort of thing you find on the more expensive packages on Sky and Virgin: Bio, MTV, CNN, History, H2 and the Crime & Investigation Network. Kids are catered for too, with faves such as Nickelodeon, Nicktoons, Nick Jr, Cartoon Network, Boomerang and Cartoonito.
What's not known is how much it'll be, whether you can subscribe to individual channels, or when it launches. VuTV says there'll be more details in mid-September. I'll be right here on the edge of my seat.
Also yet to be revealed is exactly what tech you'll need. It requires Freeview HD, which comes built-in with many modern tellies, but otherwise you'll need a separate box. As it's streamed over the Internet, you'll need a Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection too. It's possible in future set-top boxes and TVs will be advertised as VuTV-compatible.
Would you pay extra for Comedy Central and the rest? What do you think of the concept? [...]
VuTV subscription service coming to Freeview HD
VuTV, a new subscription service, is launching for Freeview HD customers in the UK.
The premium platform will grant viewers access to popular US channels including Comedy Central, Bio, MTV, CNN and Nickelodeon.
Synapse TV's VuTV premium channel for Freeview; © Synapse TV
VuTV is co-owned by interactive TV specialist Strategy & Technology and video streaming operator Simplestream, and run by their joint venture Synapse TV.
"We work with a wide range of broadcasters to stream their linear and on-demand TV to multiple devices. The content owners we engaged with embraced the idea of targeting the Freeview HD market with their portfolio of channels," said Simplestream director Dan Finch.
"As the public get wiser to connecting up their TVs, and the TVs get smarter, it's a great opportunity for channel providers to tap into the Freeview market and gain access to real time viewing data of their channels that can be used to help shape their own marketing strategy."
VuTV will be available on Freeview channel 238 in September.
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