CHANNEL 5, Britain鈥檚 new terrestrial TV station, is turning to satellite
broadcasting in an attempt to improve reception for the millions of viewers who
have been unable to pick up its signals.
But in addition to bringing C5 to more British homes, the move will make C5鈥檚
broadcasts available free to many Irish viewers. And this has brought the
channel into conflict with Equity, the British actors鈥� trade union, which now
intends to press C5 for extra royalty payments.
When its 42 terrestrial transmitters become fully operational later this
year, C5 claims that 80 per cent of British homes should be able to receive its
broadcasts. But C5鈥檚 licence from the Independent Television Commission obliges
it to broadcast at low powers on frequencies that are outside the band received
by many existing TV aerials. So unless many viewers buy a new aerial, they will
still not receive C5.
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To reach more viewers, C5 has hired a newly vacant transmitter on one of the
satellite operator Astra鈥檚 four broadcasting satellites. This makes C5 the first
British terrestrial TV channel to broadcast simultaneously from space.
Astra鈥檚 signals are beamed down to some 23 million dishes across the whole of
Europe鈥攚hich creates a problem, because C5 does not have copyright
clearance to broadcast its programmes outside Britain. So to control viewing, C5
is using the VideoCrypt scrambling system used by British Sky Broadcasting,
Rupert Murdoch鈥檚 satellite TV company. VideoCrypt decoders are not sold in
continental Europe.
Sky viewers need a VideoCrypt decoder and a smart card, which must be paid
for. The card will not be needed to see C5鈥檚 satellite broadcasts, however.
Nearly 3 million British homes have satellite dishes and VideoCrypt decoders,
and C5 estimates that 2 million of them currently cannot recieve its terrestrial
transmissions.
But there is one flaw in C5鈥檚 plan to restrict its satellite broadcasts to
British viewers: about 100 000 homes in Ireland have satellite systems with the
VideoCrypt decoders needed to receive Sky.
When contacted by New 杏吧原创, the Irish state broadcaster RTE was
unaware of C5鈥檚 satellite broadcasting plans. But RTE spokeswoman Deirdre Henchy
says: 鈥淲e are confident that we can cope with this new competition.鈥�
Sally Osman, C5鈥檚 head of corporate and public relations, argues that the
company鈥檚 satellite broadcasts to Ireland are no different from the 鈥渟pillover鈥�
reception that allows some viewers on the Dutch coast, for example, to pick up
British terrestrial broadcasts.
But Equity argues that satellite broadcasting to viewers across an entire
country is a different matter altogether. 鈥淲e did not know this was happening,鈥�
says Angela Little, the union鈥檚 spokeswoman. 鈥淐hannel 5 will need to come back
and renegotiate.鈥� C5鈥檚 current deal with Equity includes distribution in Ireland
by cable, but makes no mention of satellite broadcasts.