Arsenal TV is one of a new batch of television services licensed by Ofcom in May. The North London football club will join Manchester United’s MUTV and Chelsea TV in offering a pay-TV channel for their fans.
Also receiving a licence is Sky Sports HD 3. It follows the recent appearance of Sky Sports HD Xtra to cover the overlap of the football, cricket and rugby seasons. The channel subsequently closed.
Another notable licensee is BET International, which has secured a licence for its BET (Black Entertainment Television) channel.
Sparrowhawk Entertainment, which operates Hallmark Channel in Europe, has a new channel in Diva while Performance Channel adds Performance at the Movies. Eicom’s SciTech TV, the successor to Einstein TV, has also been given the right to broadcast.
National Geographic Channel has been granted a licence for the Polish HD version of the channel, although it has been on air via the n DTH platform since last autumn.