SECRET BBC channel to launch on SkyPerfecTV

[Taro Toporific]

British comedies teach the joy of advanced English
Yomiuri.co.jp 2004nov30
...Beginning Wednesday, a string of British comedies and dramas will become available to viewers in Japan through SkyPerfecTV! satellite network with the launch of the BBC Japan channel.
Charismatic cook Jamie Oliver's Naked Chef, an adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles...
Black Adder, starring Rowan Atkinson...
Among others is a political comedy, Yes Minister...
The Office...
etc....
Does anybody know the channel number or url
of the new SECRET BBC Entertainment channel

[Kuang_Grade]

[Skankster]

[Taro Toporific]

[Skankster]

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I hope you enjoy Yes Minister.

I will have to wait until my Cable Broadband provider BBTV.com gets it....

I just hope it is not some exclusive contract with SkyPerfect




Id take a british sitcom over a US one anyday!

[canman]

My friend told me that there is a new system out there and if you want to get this BBC channel you need a new receiver and new parabolic antenna. What a bunch of pricks, changing the system again. How many times do they expect customers to upgrade. They had lots of free channels to put the new BBC channel on why this new system?
Fuckkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk!

[dimwit]

HOWEVER, it should be free for at least 60 days so ablebody with a disk or cable ought to search waaaay down on on the ghetto channel 025 (and 110?) watch it for free starting next Weds.

http://www.mediark.co.jp/press/index_en.html

...will be broadcasting BBC JAPAN on channel 025 of SkyperfecTV! 110 on the CS 110 degree satellite.

On Sky Perfect 110 is a porno channel and on my receiver 025 does not compute.

[Taro Toporific]

HOWEVER, it should be free for at least 60 days so ablebody with a disk or cable ought to search waaaay down on on the ghetto channel 025 (and 110?) watch it for free starting next Weds.

http://www.mediark.co.jp/press/index_en.html

...will be broadcasting BBC JAPAN on channel 025 of SkyperfecTV! 110 on the CS 110 degree satellite.

On Sky Perfect 110 is a porno channel and on my receiver 025 does not compute.

The same damn thing happened to me too. Channel 110 is the BBC porno channel. :P
Here's the straight news from the kind folks over on the JapanToday Forum.

Hmm, the mystery fades
Hikozaemon (Dec 2 2004 - 13:06)
I just called up - here's the deal.

There are two completely separate tv services that are run as virtually separate companies, but conveniently have nearly identical names. These are]http://www.skyperfectv.co.jp/[/url]

and

Sky Perfect TV 110do
http://www.skyperfectv110.jp/sptv110/overlap/

A complete rundown of the differences is given here;
http://www.skyperfectv110.jp/sptv110/about/

Basically,
Sky Perfect is the older service, and has 188 regular channels and 101 radio channels. Sky Perfect 110do has 72 channels. These are numbered differently to the other Sky, and include the BS Digital channels from the NHK satellite. ie - this new service lets you watch digital TV services, but only for the BS channels.

Obviously, the people at Sky in their infinite wisdom decided to add BBC Japan to the 110do service in order to beef up its channels and offerings and attract new subscribers.

I asked the people at Sky if this Sky 110 means that the old Sky is being phased out. They assured me this is not the case (although I suspect no new channels will be added to it - give it a few years), and that the 110 service is a completely different operation to them.

So basically, by calling the channel Sky Perfect 110, the have only served to raise the hopes and disappointment of existing Sky Subscribers like us in the hope of getting our attention and making us consider switching over.

I think it is all ridiculous, and that they should use a different name for the new service. Whatver the case, BBC is not available on Sky Perfect, as we all know it.

Dammit.

Peace

[dimwit]

The same damn thing happened to me too. Channel 110 is th BBC porno channel. :P

Does this mean that they are going to show Dad's Army and The Vicar of Dibley in the nude?

[Mulboyne]

BBC: BBC Japan set to close in April

BBC Japan is to close down at the end of April because its Japanese distributor no longer has the financial backing to support the channel. The TV channel launched in December 2005 and features subtitled BBC shows including My Family and EastEnders. "We are hoping to announce shortly how BBC Japan's loyal customers will be able to receive the channel in future," said BBC Worldwide's Darren Childs. Distributor JMC will be unable to transmit the channel after 30 April. BBC Worldwide said it had not been consulted on the decision and that the situation was out of its control. JMC also told the BBC that the company's shareholders would not be providing any further financial support in the future. "We extend our sincere apologies to subscribers of the channel who have been inconvenienced by the decision of JMC," said Mr Childs, Managing Director of Global Channels at BBC Worldwide.

From Worldscreen:

...Japan MediArk Co. (JMC) was founded in 2000 as a digital data broadcasting company by Jiji Press, Kyodo News, Dentsu Inc., NTT DoCoMo, NTT DATA and Matsushita Panasonic. In 2004 Dai Nippon Printing Co. Ltd. joined as seventh shareholder. JMC extended its data-broadcasting license to television broadcasting in May 2004 to become distributor of BBC Japan...

[Big Booger]

How could the show be launched in 2005 and then go down in flames in March 2006??? I don't understand that? Were they too short-sighted? Did they expect more subscribers? I have been a Skyperfect TV user for about 3-4 years and I never heard of this 110 service.. and I get all their spam every month...

I'm not British but I'd be down with that channel.. depending on the cost.

[Mulboyne]

The BBC has been shafted by JMC who are no longer willing to support the broadcast. They are looking for another distributor.

[Taro Toporific]

The BBC has been shafted by JMC who are no longer willing to support the broadcast. They are looking for another distributor.

Foreign news broadcasts have a hell of time in Japan with getting advertising revenue. Japanese companies hate buying advertising on a channel that's "foreign".
CNN lost money for least 7 years in Japan and still are airing low-budget commerials that were obviously sold for next-to-nothing airtime rates.
Fox News went bust in Japan once (it came back like the proverbial bad penny as sort of pricy pay-for-monthly-view channel).
CNBC used to air regular NBC programs like Jay Leno and Conan on the weekends after midnight but they cut that after only two years.

Basically, the failure of foreign news broadcasts is a sad fact of Japan.

Hell, even NHK has cut engrish news by 70% recently.

[American Oyaji]

I think the problem is that few of the Japanese ad agencies produce foreign language commercials geared toward the foreigner living in Japan.

Also companies would rather not spend money to advertise, and as such the channel fails, but not for lack of viewership, but lack of interest from advertisers

[Mulboyne]

You've got the wrong idea. It's not a popularity (subscriber) problem or revenue (advertising) problem. It's a distributor problem. The backers of JMC - who are all blue chip Japanese companies - have thrown in the towel on their nascent distribution business. The BBC need to find another distributor. They may yet struggle with this channel, which earns a lot less than their other channels in Japan but they seem to be willing to give it a go.

[GomiGirl]

I subscribe to the ABC Asia Pacific (Australian TV) that is handled by Muracam TV out of Nagoya. I also have access to the NASA channel and DW (?) a German/English news and current affairs channel but I only ever watch the ABC. It would be cool to get BBC with these guys though - I would pay more to get it and I think the other Australians that sub to ABC would pay for BBC as well.

I am addicted to US ABC and CNN in the mornings on BS1 (NHK). Just 15 minutes of headlines to hear what is happening in the US. Last few days it has been all about George W Bush and his seemingly about face on the "war" and bringing home the kids if he could. Seems a huge turnaround.. especially with the US media now only using the words "Invasion of Iraq" rather than the previous "Liberation of Iraq".

To those in the US, what is the general mood these days?

[GomiGirl]

Back on Topic, I am not sure how well the Muracam TV does but most Australians living in Japan know about them mainly as they sponsor expat events like the Melbourne Cup and beam in the coverage to wherever the event is being held and give away subscriptions. Plus they are also in some sports bars around town.

It is not cheap compared to Sky Perfect as there are less channels for the same amount of money but they get the parochial vote from Australians living abroad - especially those with kids that want to sit them down in front of Humphrey B Bear in the mornings.

I have never heard of the BBC channel either through the British Embassy events or in pubs so perhaps they were not reaching their target audience.

[homesweethome]

I don't know, I am no marketing expert, but it seems to me the FG market in Japan in pretty limited except in very specilized local areas and fields. In the area of broadcasting, even cable programs, the FG market is so small compared to the overall market size, it just doesn't merit spending advertizing money on for broadcasters. If the BBC doesn't attract enough viewers in Japan (more than just the British Embassy folks, and a few of their friends, including all the British English teachers, a few thousand at most) it will be dropped for lack of revenue.

How many buggy-whip sellers are there in Japan? It just isn't worth the effort.

[GomiGirl]

Not sure about the BBC but the ABC Asia Pacific is for the entire Asia pacific region so it is the same programming and the same "ads" but there are not that many ads as it is a user pays system - about the same as sky perfect per month to have a dish etc.

Sure there are not that many foreigners in Japan (comparitively speaking) but across the region there are enough Australians or people willing to pay for Satelite Australian TV (including the larger hotels etc) to make it a viable business for the providers.

Note that BBC and ABC in Australia are supported by tax paying public at home...

[Mulboyne]

BBC Japan, unlike BBC World, is intended as a showcase for BBC programmes and formats in Japan so much of the revenue it is expected to generate will come from those sales rather than subscribers and advertising.

Many of the other niche foreign programming channels, like KNTV, also rely on DVD and merchandising income.