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Foxtel officially launches its high definition service today, and although content wise there isn’t much on the new HD platform yet, with only five HD channels available at launch, BBC HD is one of them, and almost makes it worth it.
It would seem Australia is the first market outside of the UK to recieve the BBC HD brand, but won’t be the last, with plans for expansion into Poland, and the US later this year. The two videos are taken from the newly launched BBC HD Australia and show an ident for the network, and an extended promo.
For more from BBC HD check out this cimematic promo for the UK version.
8 replies on “BBC HD launches in Australia.”
To be honest, I wasn’t aware that they’ve managed to fill up the British version with enough content for an international version! Much of BBC HD UK’s programming includes sport and other international events which probably won’t be shown on this BBC HD. Is there a website for this with info on what they’ll be screening?
I’m going to assume that BBC HD is funded not by the license fee? In the same way that the World Service is funded by the Foreign Office, is this also? Or does it carry commercials in Australia?
@Mark: I don’t know, but there are two possibilities.
1) The channel is paid for with your Foxtel HD+ subscription fee
2) It will carry ads
BBC HD Australia is owned by BBC Worldwide so one thing is for sure: you’re not gonna get a free ad-free channel.
@Mark, since it’s outside the UK and is owned by BBC Worldwide it’s definitely going to carry adverts.
I see. Makes sense.
Yeah, it’s on Foxtel HD – thats an extra $20 per month. Oh, and It’ll also carry ads. Probably more than the ABC1(UK) Freeview channel did.
The reason that BBC HD probably exists in Australia is that they call it (and UKTV AU) a ‘General Entertainment Channel’ – Nothing in that says that the content has to come from the UK…
Interestingly the BBC today bought up the 80% remaining shares in UKTV meaning that BBC Worldwide wholly owns the channel. My guess is they’ll rebrand it as BBC Entertainment (as per the other BBC Entertainment channels across Asia and in Poland). They want to launch BBC Knowledge and CBeebies in Australia (though BBC Lifestyle isn’t mentioned). Perhaps if they’d have bought it up a year or so back before they introduced their new strategy, UKTV would have been rebranded to BBC Australia ala BBC America, BBC Canada etc.
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/broadcasting/a103911/bbc-takes-full-control-of-aussie-uktv.html
was looking at this ident, and it reminded me of the Sky’s former rival BSB, all of their idents had a reoccuring theme of the square turned 45 degrees round, and especially the ones for their channel Galaxy