Freeview to announce September launch date for HbbTV
Free-to-air TV industry body Freeview has confirmed September 2 as its date for the formal launch of Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV (HbbTV) the new online platform designed to bring catch-up programming to consumers’ television sets, Mumbrella can reveal.
Source have told Mumbrella Freeview will formally announce the September 2 launch date tomorrow for what is being called Freeview Plus, a new offering which will deliver a new electronic program guide which will allow viewers to watch shows which have already been on up to seven days ago if they have an internet connected FreeviewPlus box.
The HbbTV offering, which will also have a TV ad campaign to support it, had originally been expected to launch the service in May however the launch was then delayed to the second half of the year, and then Network Seven’s regional affiliate Prime Media pulled out of the deal saying there was not a big enough potential market in its service area to make it worthwhile.
Multicultural broadcaster SBS chose to launch its offering early releasing their product in June ahead of the rest of the industry.
Tomorrow’s announcement will see the other major free to air television networks Seven, Nine, Ten and the ABC line up for the September date..
Nic Christensen
Update: 9.20am August 7
Freeview has now confirmed Mumbrella’s original report of September 2 and announced it will also do a TV campaign supporting the launch.
The announcement:
Tonight Freeview launches a TV teaser campaign, featuring some of Australia’s best-loved TV personalities, to herald next month’s launch of FreeviewPlus, the new service that provides access to content and services from Freeview.
The campaign, carrying the tagline ‘FreeviewPlus, a whole new way to enjoy TV’, debuts across all Freeview networks tonight. It shows the enthusiastic reaction from TV celebrities after they have attended a preview screening of FreeviewPlus and reminds viewers that FreeviewPlus is ‘coming soon’.
FreeviewPlus will be launched on Tuesday, September 2.
“FreeviewPlus is one of the most important advances in free-to-air television in Australia since the introduction of digital TV so it’s important we start to generate a buzz about the new service among Australian viewers,” Liz Ross, General Manager of Freeview, said.
“As in all of our previous TV campaigns, this teaser spot features well-known and loved Australian TV celebrities – they’re excited about the forthcoming launch, and there is plenty to be excited about,” she said.
At the core of FreeviewPlus is a broadband delivered free-to-air TV electronic program guide incorporating features that will offer Australian consumers an unrivalled viewing experience.
FreeviewPlus will deliver the most advanced, user-friendly free-to-air EPG experience, with Catch Up services accessed from one place on TV screens for the first time.
The FreeviewPlus service uses hybrid TV technology, which seamlessly combines broadband and broadcast TV. The technology will also enable the free-to-air networks to introduce a range of new broadband services.
The teaser campaign launching tonight is part of an extensive marketing campaign that will support retailers and manufacturers and drive consumer awareness of FreeviewPlus.
FreeviewPlus will provide easy access to Catch Up TV and many other services via the coloured buttons on the remote.
FreeviewPlus will offer a range of new features including:
- A 7-day, easy-to-use EPG
- Access to available FTA Catch Up TV in one place on the TV
- Recommendations of the best programs on today, on Catch Up and in the future
- Ability to browse and search programs across the next 7 days
- A favourites function that keeps track of programs on live and Catch Up TV
Manufacturers will release a range of FreeviewPlus receivers to coincide with the launch of FreeviewPlus and these will be available from all major appliance and electronics retailers.
FreeviewPlus will continue to be made available through an increasing number of new connected receivers carrying the FreeviewPlus logo including panel TVs, set top boxes and recording devices.
“FreeviewPlus is all about giving Australians the best FTA TV experience, allowing viewers to find and watch their favourite shows when they want to watch them on their TV with the simple press of a button,” Ms Ross said.
Would like to be enthusiastic but given the digital guide is often crap, I can only see mote frustration.
The guide is out of sync with broadcast times, so any recordings miss start or finish. Or most frustrating of all, only records a few minutes. 10’s channels are the worst & is perhaps why their ratings are so poor.
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What about the people who doesn’t have broadband ? In my area there are adsl and cable issues.. so I will miss out on this service.
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This “catch-up” TV spin is a bit of a con. You can’t watch it until 24 hours after airing on FTA, there is no limit on the number of advert insertions (subject to well tested trials to seed how much you can bear before you quit), the show is only kept for about two weeks and the resolution is poor depending on your ADSL connection, less than SD. Oh and watch your ADSL plan doesn’t blow out.
Get a decent PVR, ideally with a smart recording service like IceTV so your shows are automatically recorded, then you won’t miss a show, you can watch the show as soon as you like after it starts, it stays on the PVR until you delete it so you watch whenever you like and, importantly, you can skip then ads wit the skip button. Catch-up should be renamed “Catch-you”.
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Why would you release an ad with a web address which is not yet active?
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“… if they have an internet connected FreeviewPlus box…”
Gah, can’t you just do that with some software? Barrier to entry is huge.
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…and this is why 200,000 Australians are now quietly using Netflix…
Although it is exciting to know that you will be able to catch up on all those Reality TV programs – there are so many I can barely keep up!
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#3 Colin. I’m sure you missed pointing out in your comments that you are the Co-Founder & Exec Chairman of IceTV.
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#7 I Wonder. That is quite correct.
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I have fibre optic broadband installed in my computer room (study) which is nowhere near my TV. Will I need to install a shielded TV cable or ethernet cable to my TV or FreeviewPlus box to benefit?
Also, is “your” “FreeviewPlus box” like a router to more than one TV?
Does the FreeviewPlus box connect to my computer and act like a router?
Can I download more than one “Catch up” TV program at one time?
Is this truly a no-cost service and only requires a FreeviewPlus box?
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