Freesat EPG Information

Freesat’s carriage costs are to be a fraction of those on the Sky Digital platform. Freesat will charge £1500 for each channel’s pre-registration and a £30,000 fee for a Freesat TV EPG number and £10,000 for a radio channel. The deadline for broadcasters wanting to join the new platform is November 21st 2007. The Freesat EPG must be in place by mid January 2008, ready for Freesat’s Spring launch.

Freesat broadcasters will be able to select their EPG genre under one of the following: Entertainment, News & Sport (grouped together), Movies, Lifestyle, Children, Music, Shopping, Radio, Special Interest, Religion, Regional, Gaming & Dating or Interactive.
Freesat will give “appropriate prominence” within genres “ to Public Service broadcasters such as the BBC, ITV and Channel 4. Channels that are associated with another will be grouped together.

Freesat will make provision for future expansion by holding back certain EPG positions, Five is under contract with Sky until 2009.
Freesat’s Special Interest genre covers foreign language channels, or where a channel’s programming is “not appropriate to any other genre”. The Gaming & Dating genre allows for quiz-based channels or text-based services. There is currently no mention of an adult section, however this does not mean that channels such as Playboy One will not be included.
The BBC is managing the application and technical aspects; Arqiva, Globecast and satellite operator SES Astra are all specifically mentioned as providing technical services for broadcasters.