Have linear pay channels had their day?

[commseng]

I understood that a lot of the use of ITV Hub for Love Island was down to the parents not wanting to watch it, so the main telly was used for other programmes, while the younger members of the household watched it in their rooms on the computer.

[JAS84]

is all Sky Kids original content imported or have they commissioned some of their own?

They have commissioned at least one show, called So Beano, which is linked to the Beano comic and thus was advertised there. I don't know what else is on Sky Kids at all.

[Keith]

When it comes to linear pay channels I'm surprised that Sky Cinema still have so many linear channels. I wouldn't be surprised if in the coming years the number of linear Sky Cinema channels reduces, with more of a push towards the Sky Store for movies as more devices become internet enabled.

Similarly linear channel that have their HD version as paid but SD version free (e.g. ITV4) must surely have a limited shelf-life. There must surely come a point where the HD channel will become the standard on Sky & Virgin, whilst maybe some channels may start to offer a paid 4K version (e.g. sports channels).

[Neil Jones]

When it comes to linear pay channels I'm surprised that Sky Cinema still have so many linear channels. I wouldn't be surprised if in the coming years the number of linear Sky Cinema channels reduces, with more of a push towards the Sky Store for movies as more devices become internet enabled.

Similarly linear channel that have their HD version as paid but SD version free (e.g. ITV4) must surely have a limited shelf-life. There must surely come a point where the HD channel will become the standard on Sky & Virgin, whilst maybe some channels may start to offer a paid 4K version (e.g. sports channels).

The SD channel thing is I believe because of the legacy boxes on the Sky platform which they still support. 4k is supported by Sky Q but obviously isn't backwards compatible with Sky+HD and the legacy boxes.

Still quite surprising Sky haven't decided to drop support for the pre Sky+HD hardware by now, since they've dropped active development on all but four of the Sky+HD boxes.

[johnnyboy]

From WiredUK dated 26.11.2020...

"At a 2015 conference in Berlin, Netflix’s co-founder and CEO Reed Hastings compared traditional ‘linear’ television programming to using horses as a mode of transport...

Hastings predicted that linear television – where networks pick what time and when shows are going to air – would decline “every year for the next 20 years”, while on-demand TV would only increase in popularity. He went on to list the advantages of internet TV: “You can watch it whenever you want; you can watch it on any screen; it’s customised; it’s personalisable”.

This month, Netflix launched a linear television channel called Netflix Direct (in France) that does the opposite of every one of those points."

Are the BBC and Netflix hopeless out of touch with a desire for presence on linear TV or are they actually ahead of the game?

Finer minds than mine required to answer that.

[WillPS]

I think the Netflix service is more about capturing (and converting) holdouts to streaming services. As you approach market saturation you have to work much harder to capture further share.

I certainly don't think it's an admission that the CEO's statements were in some way incorrect.

[James Martin]

Nah. Streaming is the future. The BBC need to get 5.1 Sound and 50fps as standard though.

[Rex]

When it comes to linear pay channels I'm surprised that Sky Cinema still have so many linear channels. I wouldn't be surprised if in the coming years the number of linear Sky Cinema channels reduces, with more of a push towards the Sky Store for movies as more devices become internet enabled.

Similarly linear channel that have their HD version as paid but SD version free (e.g. ITV4) must surely have a limited shelf-life. There must surely come a point where the HD channel will become the standard on Sky & Virgin, whilst maybe some channels may start to offer a paid 4K version (e.g. sports channels).

in a way, they justify their existence with the fact that they're used for themed strands (Superheroes, Mega Hits, or hit franchises), but the movie channels have become second rate to the on demand presence Sky Cinema has on both Sky and Now tv.

However. I will not be surprised if over time the movie channel offering is downsized over time.

[RegularCapital]

I think a better question would be "Have conventional pay-TV platforms had their day?" streaming shouldn't be confused as the opposite to linear, you can have linear streaming channels, both free or pay, whether it's live sport, news, or sometimes (but less so as it doesn't necessarily have to be live) entertainment. It's a matter of satellite/cable vs OTT (Streaming) and Linear vs VOD. OTT (Over The Top) technology has allowed media companies to bypass the pay-TV middlemen and gatekeepers by going direct-to-consumer.

Linear still has a time and place on FTA television of which has the benefit of being accessible to all viewers (as well as their respective free streaming services) regardless of what additional streaming services they subscribe to.