Freeview users to lose nine channels this week as part of major signal switch off

Freeview users are set to lose nine channels as part of a major signal switch off.

It comes as one of the TV signals is to be switched off on June 30, to pave the way for 5G mobile technology.

While some channels will be changing, others will be leaving Freeview for good.

Among the channels to close include BBC News HD and QVC HD.

In a statement, the BBC said: "As a consequence of the closure of COM7, BBC News on Freeview will be available only in Standard Definition from the end of June 2022.”

A Freeview spokesperson said: “Since the decision by Ofcom to make more airwaves available for mobile data, the Ofcom license for some channels broadcasting on Freeview has expired.

“This means that affected channels are making changes to the way they are broadcast moving forward."

Among the other channels to leave Freeview altogether include PBS America+1, More4+1 and QVC Beauty HD.

Forces TV, Quest HD, CBS Justice and FreeSports are the other channels that will soon disappear.

QVC, HSN parent takes livestream shopping to new channel

The QVC and HSN streaming services are now more widely accessible to digital shoppers.

Multiplatform video commerce provider Quarate Retail Inc. is launching a web version of its interactive streaming shopping service for its QVC and HSN banners. The QVC+ and HSN+ streaming experience is available to approximately 120 million internet-connected homes across the U.S. at plus.qvc.com and plus.hsn.com, as well as across several popular streaming platforms.

QVC+ and HSN+ offer live, on-demand and streaming-only content together in one fully shoppable app. The streaming service combines QVC and HSN’s five linear channels (QVC, QVC2, QVC3, HSN and HSN2) with two digital-only linear channels (a third is slated to launch July 1) and approximately 20 original, streaming-only shows.

Streaming-only shows include exclusive deal drops, documentary-style deep-dives on specific brands and celebrities, and culinary programs. Digital-only linear channels include fashion, culinary, and Spanish-language offerings.

“Streaming is all about choice – the ability to watch whatever you want, whenever, wherever and however you want to watch it,” said David Apostolico, senior VP platform strategy, development & distribution for Quarate Retail Group. “No one offers a richer, more diverse array of v-commerce programming than we do on our streaming app – with easy, in-app purchasing – and we’re expanding our library with new shows and fun content every day. The web version of our streaming app gives millions of people more control over their video shopping experiences than ever before.”

The QVC+ and HSN+ streaming offering is part of vCommerce Ventures, a new business unit designed to accelerate Qurate Retail Group’s involvement in digital live streaming shopping, beyond QVC’s and HSN’s traditional multiplatform experiences.

According to Quarate Retail Group, this launch reflects a continued strategic initiative to expand the reach of its channels and streaming offering across new media and digital platforms, including over-the-top devices and services, shoppable apps, social media, digital over-the-air networks, mobile apps, and websites.

QVC partners with FuboTV QVC also recently launched the first livestream shopping channel on FuboTV. QVC is offering 20 hours a day of live video commerce programming (and four hours of prerecorded content), featuring premier brands and new products presented by celebrities and other personalities who engage with customers in real-time across multiple platforms. FuboTV, which has 1.06 million subscribers in North America (as of the first quarter of 2022), is available across most connected and smart TVs, gaming consoles, mobile apps, tablets and the web.

With the launch, QVC is now available on the top subscription services for digital livestreaming TV, which have a combined total of approximately 14 million subscribers in the U.S. These services are also known as vMVPDs, or virtual multichannel video programming distributors. As a result, QVC now reaches nearly 95% of pay digital livestreaming TV households in the U.S.

QVC and HSN reach more than 200 million homes globally via 14 TV networks and reaches millions more via multiple streaming services, websites, mobile apps and social pages. The retailers are part of Qurate Retail, whose brands also include HSN, Zulilyand the Cornerstone brands (collectively, "Qurate Retail Group), as well as other minority interests and green energy investments.

Source: Chain Storage

Ideal World teams up with The Range in unique partnership

Ideal World, based in Newark Road, where it employs 250 people, has just agreed a unique partnership with national value retailer The Range.

Now a special The Range store-in studio has been created at the Ideal World studios and from tomorrow (Friday) will begin live streaming the retailer’s video content on social media platforms TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.

Content will also be broadcast on Ideal World’s own TV shopping channel.

Source: Peterborough Telegraph