Who cares? The programmes will still be cack.

On second thoughts, worse.

A more important question: does non-commercial TV have a future?

Probably not. Enjoy it while it lasts...

>A more important question: does non-commercial TV have a future?
>Probably not. Enjoy it while it lasts...

It will have to make itself a future. The BBC will have to continue to ensure that it remains relevant to the nation. I can see News 24 becoming a popular channel as more and more people move to digital.

A lot of people will not move to pay tv either. There has to be stations for those who just want free to air stations.

Now on OnDigital the free to air stations are: BBC Parliament, BBC News 24, BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Knowledge, ITV, ITV2, Channel 4, Channel 5 (anything else I've missed?).

Don't assumne that everyone moving to digital will want pay TV because a sizable chunk of the country won't. There's only so many people who will take up OnDigital and Sky Digital's current offers. My parents don't care about pay TV. I don't really. I haven't even got round to registering my OnDigital pre-paid box yet (only paid about £26 for it...)

In the free to air stations, the BBC will be there in force.

>I can see News 24 becoming a popular channel as more and more people move to digital.

Certainly, the station has gone from a cock-up ridden channel to a respected news organ. My Great Aunt who's 81 liked it when I lent her my OnDigital box when I was away on Holiday.
>
>A lot of people will not move to pay tv either. There has to be stations for those who just want free to air stations.

Definately. But a lot of people who had never taken multichannel tv before have, partly due to OnDigital being easy to set up and all digital services now offering 'free' set-top boxes.
>
>Now on OnDigital the free to air stations are: BBC Parliament, BBC News 24, BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Knowledge, ITV, ITV2, Channel 4, Channel 5 (anything else I've missed?).

BBC Parliament is audio-only.

The other main channels are:

Shop!
S4C/S4C2 (Wales Only)

>In the free to air stations, the BBC will be there in force.

Yeah, but it must be properly funded to do it.

>Granada have in the past said that they can see the time when we just have one ITV company. Is that time almost upon us?

I hope not. ITV has already lost some of its regional flavour. Even regions that didn't do very much else got to do a 'Highway', Church Service, or 'The Time, The Place' once in a while. Now Anglia does all these sorts of shows.

ITV is far too centralised. I think they should have kept the rules tight so that individual companies stayed that way. Isn't competition a good thing. Shouldn't companies be competing against each other for network commissions?

Ah well, The times, they are a-changin'

If the BBC expands further into digital, should we have BBC3, 4 etc. or more specialist channels? BBC Comedy?
It could be a home for low-budget projects like TMWRNJ...

>It could be a home for low-budget projects like TMWRNJ...

Already exists. Called BBC CHOICE :)

They do have some decent programmes. I saw Simply Complicated last night. Brilliant. Think Robot Wars but without robots, violence and Phillipa Forester, but with gadgets and science instead. Wonderful. Somehow I can't see ITV ever doign a show quite like it.

There's a very interesting article in Eye-TV (Private Eye) this week, about the future of the BBC.

The BBC really need to sort out the problems they created on ONDigital - at least that would show they had some intereast in Digital T.V.

Granada and Carlton need to get rid of all their shit channels for a start (get rid of OnD?) and start working on their ITV stations. Until they do this, then TV will not have a future. The same is true for the BBC.

ITV will probably end up in a really bad way, because it is looking likely that Granada will own the lot in the not too distant future. It was, and still is to a certain extent, in the hands of the ITC, but I very much doubt they care anymore.

I think that all of the regional companies of ITV will melt and become like one big melted squashed congealed chocolate orange.

>ITV is far too centralised. I think they should have kept the rules tight so that individual companies stayed that way. Isn't competition a good thing. Shouldn't companies be competing against each other for network commissions?

There in lies the problem the ITV Network Centre has never lived up to it original promise of increasing competition between the producers, what have we seen....Granada's domination continue...United squeezed out of the picture and indi producers completely frozen out with % indi productions declining. Stations like Tyne Tees have all but been closed down with all their productions done by YORKSHIRE tyne tees PRODUCTIONS....The only good thing ITV Networks Ltd has done is keep Cartlon's hours to a minimum...because even they recognised that Carlton are Crap!

Rumours reach me that Tyne Tees may bid for the C4 Friday Tea-Time slot one TFI (its over) ceases in December. Bring Back the Tube!

>The only good thing ITV Networks Ltd has done is keep Cartlon's hours to a minimum...because even they recognised that Carlton are Crap!

Mind you, the Carlton comedy series 'Kiss Me Kate' isn't bad on BBC ONE.