TELLY fans could see more than 50 channels disappear from their screens in the not-so distant future as streaming continues to make a dent, according to an expert.
The era of streaming with the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime is reshaping viewer habits meaning some smaller channels could be made completely redundant.
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And it’s not just streamers causing the shift – newer features on TVs themselves are contributing to it.
Earlier this month, Sky Q, Sky+ and Sky+HD customers lost access to a number of channels including Sky History+1.
+1 channels have long served as a great way to catch shows an hour later.
But with on-demand widely available and “watch from the start” features, +1 channels could be rendered obsolete.
“Consumer behaviour has changed so much and we should see it change further with the shift towards streaming over the internet,” Paolo Pescatore, a tech industry expert with PP Foresight told The Sun.
“With so many options now available including ‘watch from the start’ the death of +1 is around the corner.
“This makes perfect sense and would argue why this has not happened sooner.
“In part I guess down to existing carriage deals.
“In this day and age where all focus is on costs, there is no point supporting channels that generate a cost but don’t move the needle.”
+1 channels don’t exist on Sky Glass and Sky Stream, which also provides a bit of hint about the how the future could shape up.
As it stands, there are about 50 +1 channels available on Sky and Virgin Media.
Here’s the full list:
- ITV1+1
- Channel 4+1
- 5+1
- Sky Showcase+1
- Sky Witness+1
- Sky Atlantic+1
- Alibi+1
- Gold+1
- Dave ja vu (+1)
- Comedy Central+1
- ITV2+1
- ITV3+1
- ITV4+1
- Sky Crime+1
- Discovery+1
- 5STAR+1
- Nat Geo+1
- U&W+1
- TLC+1
- E4+1
- More4+1
- Food Network+1
- 5USA+1
- U&Drama+1
- QUEST+1
- TRUE CRIME+1
- Quest Red+1
- ID+1
- U&Yesterday+1
- Crime+Investigation+1
- GREAT! tv+1
- HGTV+1
- DMAX+1
- Discovery Turbo+1
- Animal Planet+1
- U&Eden+1
- Discovery Science+1
- Discovery History+1
- Film4+1
- Movies 24+
- LEGEND XTRA+1
- GREAT! romance+1
- GREAT! movies+1
- GREAT! action+1
- Cartoon Network+1
- Boomerang+1
- Nickelodeon+1
- POP+1
- Nick Jr+1
- Tiny Pop+1
- Pop Max+1
What does it mean for the future of TV?
Analysis by Jamie Harris, Assistant Technology and Science Editor at The Sun
Fortunately, viewers won’t be missing their favourite shows entirely as +1 channels merely show the main channel an hour later.
And with streaming catch-up these days people can easily find what they want to watch again without relying on +1 channels.
However, it does demonstrate the mega shift caused by streaming.
The days of Sky, Virgin and other players boasting hundreds of channels may come to an end soon.
But it may not be such a bad thing, as it means less duplication.
