BBC Opt-Outs

After reading the BBC Scotland thread, I was intrigued in the way in which regional BBC services and channels can opt out from network at any given point. We all know about the BBC One regions, but I am more interested in how the digital services did it, such as BBC Choice in the day.

http://hub.tv-ark.org.uk/images/otherchannels/bbc_choice_images/bbcchoice_ni_ident_2000a-small.jpghttp://hub.tv-ark.org.uk/images/otherchannels/bbc_choice_images/bbc_choice_wales_id_mouse_1998-small.jpghttp://hub.tv-ark.org.uk/images/otherchannels/bbc_choice_images/bbc_choice_id4_1998a-01.jpg
(Thanks TV-Ark!)

Along with this, other services such as BBC Two Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales and some analogue BBC Two regions (albeit not for long) can still opt-out of their network and provide local programming. Which also begs the question, if the system is there, why get rid of it? I ask because proposed plans by the BBC state that there is a possibility that the BBC Two Scotland opt-out service being decommissioned, leaving programmes such as Newsnight Scotland in the dark. If the system is so expensive to run, surely it would make more sense to leave it there rather than spending money for it to be taken apart?

It also appears that BBC Choice had an opt-out service at some point, although there is little information about this on the web, somebody here will hopefully know more than me about it and explain a little about how it did work on the digital platform (I assume it would have been DTT only?)

It also appears that BBC Choice NI had in-vision continuity at one point, although I'm not sure how long it lasted.

BBC Choice opts stopped to allow BBC2 opts on digital platforms for the nations.

When digital tv launched in the UK, initially there were four versions of BBC One: England, Wales, NI and Scotland. There were also four versions of BBC Choice but only one network-version of BBC Two. English regions remained analogue only before DTT opting kit was installed in all the sites, and this was a gradual rollout.

The BBC Choice opts were from 2230 to about midnight and lasted until 2001. NI used in-vision continuity, but I don't think the other nations did. When the regional nature of the channel was discontinued, the opting capability was transferred to BBC-2. Wales chose to create a whole new channel BBC 2W, while still operating some different opts on BBC 2 Analogue. 2W came to an end when Wales switched over to digital.

In England, while DTT was rolling out to regional centres, the Satellite feed remained England-wide. UK Today ( a kind of best-of-the-regions programme, made by News 24 I think) was shown during regional slots. In 2001 four of the biggest regions by population (Leeds, Birmingham, Southampton and Manchester) became available via the Red Button at 6pm on weekdays. London became the 'sustaining feed' on the network, so in effect that was an option too. By 2002, the BBC had secured enough transponder space to enable all of its regional variations of BBC 1 to be available on satellite. Virtually all remaining BBC-2 English regional opts had transferred to BBC-1 by this time (Super League Show in Northern regions and the occasional specials excpeted). BBC 2 in England has never supported any digital regional opts at all.

There are some good captures at TV Ark:
BBC Choice http://www2.tv-ark.org.uk/otherchannels/bbc_choice.html
BBC Red Button (ER on DSAT) http://www2.tv-ark.org.uk/bbcother/red_button.html

I don't think it's a case of removing the equipment. Surely its more just a case of turning it off and not using it?

Originally on DSat there were BBC One Nations and BBC Choice Nations, with a single BBC Two UK-wide feed. (I assume that the same was the case on DTT)

A slightly bizarre choice - presumably made on the assumption people could still watch regional BBC Two on analogue?

Sense prevailed, and the opt-out facilities for BBC Choice nations opt-outs were re-purposed for BBC Two digital opt-outs instead. (BBC Wales used to have different opted content on BBC Two Wales / BBC Wales on Two analogue and BBC 2W - aka BBC Two Wales digital for quite a while)

I'd imagine the cost of operating the opt-out service (staff) far outweighs the cost of owning it (maintenance). Also it will need replacing at some point (if it hasn't been already - it will be 13 years old soon if it hasn't been) - presumably with HD kit?

BBC One HD will presumably have some national variations soon - and if/when BBC HD becomes BBC Two HD can the BBC justify investing in national opt-out gear for that at the moment?

This is kind of where having everything on every platform holds back regional TV due to the need for all the streams to be on Sky. If things had taken a different track and it was assumed people would receive the BBC through Freeview/ DTT and then if they have Sky/Cable that's in addition then opt-outs might not be such an issue.


Anyhow, back on topic and what sort of content did the BBC Choice opt outs have. I know BBC Choice Wales had a news bulletin (with it's own titles), but did other BBC Wales content play out on BBC Choice first, and what did the other nations do?

The equipment and systems exists and is all paid for but remember they have to spend money on the content and it's play out and all the associated costs with what is effectively an extra channel.

It's the day to day costs that are important, not the initial capital outlay.

From memory, BBC CHOICE Northern Ireland transmitted an extra addition of BBC Newsline each night, a live arts magazine called The 11th Hour, some sports content, and a lot of reversioned archive.

The local continuity announcements were out of vision and branded as BBC CHOICE Northern Ireland from the start of night even while they took programmes from network BBC CHOICE. The in-vision announcements started later in the evening into the local programming. This was only Monday to Friday... though there were a few occasions when opts happened at the weekend for live sports programmes.

During this time BBC 1 Northern Ireland was running from 6am to close-down, with analogue and digital mostly run from separate play-out suites (for various technical reasons). BBC 2 Northern Ireland was manned on analogue only (though from one of the digital suites) weekday evenings (essentially to facilitate the Newsnight opt)... though there often were opts for Schools and Irish language programmes on BBC 2 Northern Ireland in daytime and weekends (but from the BBC 1 Northern Ireland analogue suite, which could run both channels at once).

Once digital opting on BBC 2 Northern Ireland started, it was visually branded as BBC 2 NI in the evenings but branded as BBC 2 during the day (analogue and digital) and in the evenings (analogue only) even though it was essentially BBC 2 Northern Ireland.

BBC 2 NI had quite a lot of local content when it started, but this decreased over time.
BBC 2 (essentially BBC 2 Northern Ireland analogue) also carried some of the same BBC 2 NI content as simulcasts, and had some content which was only carried on analogue (often Irish language programming or sport with rights issues that didn't cover digital transmission).

Running two different local versions of BBC 2 could be very tricky; with some local content shared, other local content being on either digital or analogue, and some network content being taken live on one service while being time shifted or even day shifted on the other service.

As stated, yes they did, and one of the announcers was a very young Christine Bleakley.

What ever happened to her ?

On the subject of opts, I discovered last night that, BBC 1 analogue Crystal Palace, is one second behind BBC 1 analogue Rowridge/Hann. BBC 2 analogue is near as dammit in step, so why the lag on BBC 1 ? Something to do with the opting arrangements for the local London news ?

Does anyone know how the BBC are doing opt-outs on satellite? Are they essentially broadcasting over a dozen video streams with the same content for most of the day, or are the regional LCNs mapped to one or a few Pan-Regional video streams that switch to the a dedicated regional stream when its time for regional news?

I know the technology to do the latter exists and is widely used in Sweden and Germany to provide multiple regional variations from one transmitter on DTT (and I believe that in Sweden it is also used on satellite). If such technology could be adopted by the BBC (as well as ITV and everyone else who is interested in regional varitations) they could perhaps save a lot on transponder space and provide more regional variations on more channels.

They're using a dozen video streams, I believe the latter switching technology you speak of isn't supported by the receivers used here, in particular Sky boxes.

It's the former. The latter method has been thought about, and experiments conducted, but was too slow and clunky, (with much of the clunkiness receiver specific) to be considered.