SKY EPG

Today I have seen many channels advertising NEW a numbering system on the SKY Digital satellite.

Ive seen a promotion on Bid up tv and also one on ITV1 concerning ITV2 moving to channel 175!

Has anyone got any more details on the new list of channels?

Unlike you to miss an existing thread, Owan!

Ooops Sorry NIck! Not much of a thread that other one mind - is it?

So ITV2 is being stuck 'all the way' back on channel 175!

Who decides which channel gets a channel allocation on the Sky Digital satellite and can positions be bought?

136 - Granada Men & Motors
139 - Sky Travel
140 - Sky Travel Extra
142 - UKTV Style
143 - UKTV Style Plus
144 - UKTV Food
145 - UKTV Food +1
146 - UKTV Drama
148 - Travel Channel
149 - Travel 2
151 - Channel 4 Wales / S4C Digital (rest of UK)
154 - Discovery Health
157 - Artsworld
160 - Life TV
163 - E4
164 - E4+1
166 - Overload
169 - BBC1 (Ireland)
170 - BBC2 (Ireland)
172 - Game Network
175 - ITV2
178 - You TV
181 - Avago
184 - BEN
187 - Reality TV
190 - Hallmark (no change)
193 - E! Entertainment
196 - UKTV Bright Ideas
199 - FTN
202 - Performance Channel
205 - Rapture TV
208 - Friendly TV
211 - ACTV
214 - LiveTV
217 - Game Nation
220 - Fashion TV (no change)
223 - OBE
226 - Game In TV
229 - Biography Channel
232 - Hollywood TV
247 - Classics TV (no change)
289 - FX289 (no change)
295 - Sky Vegas Live (no change)

Dsat (well Astra at least) doesn't operate any type of LCN system as DTT has. Sky's channel numbers are part of the EPG, a proprietary Sky piece of technology, watch without a Sky box and the channel numbers cease to exist.

Sky therefore has total control, but there is a clause that they must give 'due prominence' to analogue terrestrial channels. As to where they went, well in 1998 all the channels from their analogue service went at the top of their various categories, with the new channels following after.

Deals have certainly been done over channel numbers, as to whether or not it's common practice to buy a particular number, I don't know.

No Sky doesn't have total control. EPGs ( DTT, Cable or Dsat are regulated by OFCOM (was the ITC).

When Sky Digital launched the exsisting channels were given places depending on their popularity. Hence it went Sky1, UK Gold, Living, Disney, Family/Challenge.

Each channel was/is given 3 EPG positions so they can launch sister channels (hence SKy1 is on 106, UK Gold 109, Living 111) .

Any new channels are added uin the next empty position. The problem with this is that channels close and move, hence the huge gap between UK Drama and S4C and the gap DIsney vacated with was taken by BBC3&4.

NTL should sort out their numbering too, at the moment it's a mess. Numbers 1-200odd are TV channels, following by a few BBC Radio stations in the 400s. That's where it ended when I originally got NTL Digital in September 2001. Since then, a heck of a lot of new channels have been bunged onto the end, meaning you've got Cartoon Network on 70, Boomerang on 613, Cartoon Network +1 on 614 and Toonami on 903. Still, yes661 is on 661, which is nice.

can someone please tell me what EPG stands for?

Electronic Programme Guide.

Well not really as it was on 226 so its been brought forwards.

Thanks for clearing that up - you though something ending with a '2' wouldve been more acceptable?

The following have all got very good new EPG numbers:

184 - BEN
205 - Rapture TV
226 - Game In TV

Wonder how many new viewers they'll get in the first few weeks from those wanting to watch Channel 4, E4 and ITV2?

So its the Big move tomorrow. I see that Nation 277 have changed their 'Nation 277 preview' in the Epg a day early to 'Nation 217 preview'.

What time will the change happen? On most Mondays when New channels start they appear most after 10am and before 11:30.
I wonder if the new numbers will start at 9am like the BBC One regions did.

If I have the EPG on at the time of the change will I see the channels go and then comeback on another number? When BBC One moved I had the old named 'BBC ONE' on but tuned out to BBC Two on 102 but could not get back to 101 as it went straight to 999. A few minutes later 101 came back with 'BBC 1 region' instead.

With loads of channels moving will I lose access to loads of channels for a few minutes tomorrow then??