Quiz channel ITV Play yanked
p2pnet.net news:- Quiz channel ITV Play has been axed, says the BBC. But it doesn’t look as though anyone’s bothered to tell ITV Play.
It’s to be replaced on Sky and Freeview by a new service called ITV2+1, says the BBC, pointing out the channel was suspended last week, “owing to ongoing concerns about interactive services”.
The “time-shifted” channel will launch on Freeview on 15 March and satellite on 16 March, says the story.
Was it chopped because of all the nastiness? ITV digital channels director Jonathan Lewis is quoted as saying the decision to replace ITV Play was “commercial”.
Following ‘fixing’ claims, ITV was forced to take down the quiz channel and halt all premium-rate interactive services, text votes and red button interaction.
“The broadcaster admitted that it had overcharged viewers for red button votes on reality show The X Factor, leading to an investigation by premium phone lines regulator Icstis,” says the BBC, adding, “The watchdog is also looking into claims that phone-ins were mishandled on Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway and I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!”
“However, no formal investigation has been launched into these programmes.”
Meanwhile, Channel 4 is having troubles as well. It had to yank phone-ins on its horse racing show The Morning Line.
But over on ITV Play, it’s bidnes as usual with no indication to punters that it’s on the way out.
(Thanks, Andrew)
Also See:
BBC – Phone-in channel ITV Play is axed, March 13, 2007
‘fixing’ claims – Britain’s ‘fixed’ TV shows, March 9, 2007
yank phone-ins – UK’s Channel 4 pulls phone-ins, March 13, 2007
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