Freesat says its surprised that Channel 4 is pulling on demand service All4 from the free-to-air satellite platform when there has been no change to the fees.
Channel 4 plans to remove All4 and the HD version of its linear channel on Thursday after an increase in fees, Freesat says only its charges for HD have changed.
Freesat, owned by the BBC and ITV and operated on a not-for-profit basis, says it offers excellent value for its channel partners.
“Recently, Freesat evolved its Ofcom regulated charging policy to ensure the fees charged for all broadcast channels reflect the value that channel partners derive from the platform,” a Freesat spokesperson told Broadband TV News.
“The fees charged for Channel 4’s On demand service All4 have not changed. Therefore, Freesat was surprised Channel 4 decided to remove this service from the platform. Freesat’s aim is not to make a profit from these changes but simply to cover its operational costs. We believe that the redistribution of fees for broadcast channels makes it a fairer system for all our partners.”
Unlike other platforms, Freesat appears to be separating linear from on demand services, rather than offering them as a bundle.
Freesat says it hopes both 4HD and All4 will return to the platform shortly. It says it’s available in over 2 million homes, above the level quoted on the Barb Establishment Survey, arguing that it collates its data from a variety of sources.
