Channel 5 HD gets a Freeview licence

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It's official - Channel 5 has got the necessary paperwork from Ofcom to launch its HD channel on Freeview.

Channel 5 HD is one of several new channels that have received Ofcom licences enabling them to broadcast a service on the UK's digital terrestrial TV platform.

The Viacom-owned broadcaster has previously stated that it is "committed" to launching on Freeview HD, despite turning down two opportunities to join Freeview under previous management.

The channel is a candidate for the current BBC Three HD channel number (105), once the current online promo channel is removed.

Other channels given a licence to broadcast on terrestrial TV include children's channel Kix and crime drama channel True Crime, both operated by CSC Media, which is part of Sony TV's family of channels. The addition of Kix would fill the children's section of the Freeview EPG if it was added without an existing service being removed. Some children's channels are only available in certain areas on Freeview. A licence has also been given for a service called "One World Television".

No details about launch timeframes and channel numbers have been released just yet - but these licences are often the first indication of an impending launch.

From a technical standpoint, there's currently around 10-15 Mbps of variable bandwidth lying unused on the main digital multiplex (multiplex) BBC-B/PSB3) that carries BBC One, BBC Two, ITV and Channel 4 in HD, that's before BBC Three HD's evening bandwidth is even taken into the equation. This would provide sufficient bandwidth for another national HD channel on Freeview.

Quick and small update....

Channel 5's high definition channel on satellite has transferred from Sky capacity to a transponder controlled by Channel 5 itself.

The channel, officially labelled as "Channel 5HD", is now carried alongside Channel 5's other channels, including the standard definition version and digital offshoot channels including 5STAR and Spike on Astra 2G transponder 57. (10964 H, Symbol Rate 22000 FEC 5/6)

For Sky subscribers, the associated frequency change should have been processed automatically through the Sky EPG and no action should be required.

Channel 5HD remains encrypted at the present time, although the transponder move is widely seen as a precursor to the channel becoming free-to-air and available on Freesat in the future.

As yet, the broadcaster, now owned by US media giant Viacom, hasn't released any information into the public domain regarding making Channel 5HD freely available.