From skydigital online from media bullet:

04/07/03 Channel Four responds to Solus card change
Channel Four has told SDO that their flagship channel will become a part of
Sky's monthly package come 10th July. This comes in response to BBC's
decision in going Free To Air on Sky Digital from that date onwards.
Speaking to the Head of Press at Channel Four, Matt Baker, he also clarified
that the channel will NOT be available to Free To Air set top boxes, which
is a major blow to viewers' who do not subscribe to a Sky monthly package.
The reason for this is because BBC who have been issuing the Solus viewing
cards (Free To View) will stop doing so from next week, which means new
viewers' who have plans to view the free channels on Sky will miss out on
receiving Channel Four, Five and ITV1. Channel Four has also said that it
does not have any intentions of distributing Solus cards because of the
costs involved. Channel Four has no plans of following the BBC's Free To Air
mode just yet, saying that they're "very happy" with how things are at the
moment.
News Feed: Raj Baddhan Source: Channel Four News Break: 12:39

So looks like FTV viewers are going to get completely shafted in the next
few days.

Jaime

From skydigital online from media bullet:

04/07/03 Channel Four responds to Solus card change
Channel Four has told SDO that their flagship channel will become a part
of
Sky's monthly package come 10th July. This comes in response to BBC's
decision in going Free To Air on Sky Digital from that date onwards.
Speaking to the Head of Press at Channel Four, Matt Baker, he also
clarified
that the channel will NOT be available to Free To Air set top boxes,
which
is a major blow to viewers' who do not subscribe to a Sky monthly
package.
The reason for this is because BBC who have been issuing the Solus
viewing
cards (Free To View) will stop doing so from next week, which means new
viewers' who have plans to view the free channels on Sky will miss out
on
receiving Channel Four, Five and ITV1. Channel Four has also said that
it
does not have any intentions of distributing Solus cards because of the
costs involved. Channel Four has no plans of following the BBC's Free To
Air
mode just yet, saying that they're "very happy" with how things are at
the
moment.
News Feed: Raj Baddhan Source: Channel Four News Break: 12:39

So looks like FTV viewers are going to get completely shafted in the
next
few days.

Jaime




Wow. Good for ITV if they break out with the BBC.

It will be very lonely on Sky if the only channels available were
Auntie's.

Will ITV who stayed off DSAT for 3 years make the same error? Like King
Canute, Stuart Prebble commanded the viewers to part from DSAT only to get
his feet very wet....

It's going to be messy....


Yes I think messy is the work I await the 10th of July to see dozens of post
here aking where their channels have gone (a bit like the people with doggy
alignment who lost bbc when it moved satellites). I think thats this is
quite a wrong move by all parties, although as we currently subscribe to sky
it doenst bother me too much. I would however like to see all the psb go
clear so that I can get them with a dsat card to give better recordig
quality than dttv.

To me it seems obsurd that sky wont/cant/will not keep the current v2 ftv
cards active for the current ftv cards and that they wont/cant/will not
issue new v2 ftv cards to people for a nominal fee ( £20 one off
payment).

Jaime

Jaime wrote:

To me it seems obsurd that sky wont/cant/will not keep the current v2 ftv
cards active for the current ftv cards

They certainly can and at no cost whatsoever to anyone. If any series
2 cards are deactivated for the FTV channels then this will be a
deliberate act on Sky's part designed purely and simply to annoy FTV
viewers.
Everyone should be aware of this.


and that they wont/cant/will not
issue new v2 ftv cards to people for a nominal fee ( £20 one off
payment).

They certainly could do this also. I hope that they government will
oblige them to do so and for much less than £20.

--
Digibox problem? : A reboot solves 90% of these.
The Sky Digital FAQ: http://tinyurl.com/4f9c
How to get UK TV overseas: http://tinyurl.com/6p73
Fed up with logos / red buttons? : http://www.logofreetv.org.uk/
BBC gone? : http://www.astra2d.cjb.net/
----
Only the truth as I see it.
No monies return'd. ;-)