Commercial networks have been able to offer a second digital channel since the beginning of the year. When Seven rolls out its second channel on November 1, they’ll all finally have gotten around to it.
The newly-branded joins 7Two Ten’s ONE and Nine’s Go! on digital TVs and set-top boxes everywhere. The channel will include a mixture of drama, factual and movie content (including some odd selections like UK soaps Emmerdale and Coronation Street). While we should be grateful the rumoured ‘Seven Mate’ branding didn’t take hold (a point echoed by Nick over at Gizmodo), the channel will need some more spectacular tricks to help halt the gradual decline away from free-to-air TV. Thanks f4ction!
timmy
October 26, 2009 at 11:20 AM
Actually, the commercial networks have been able to offer a THIRD digital channel since the start of the year. They have been allowed a second (in HD) since the start of 2007.
Report PermalinkDaniel
October 26, 2009 at 1:00 PM
Last time I checked, “gotten” wasn’t a word..
Report PermalinkElly Hart
October 26, 2009 at 6:53 PM
The last time I checked, it was listed in the dictionary as the past participle of “get”.
Report PermalinkDaniel
October 26, 2009 at 7:53 PM
Check again. The past particple of the verb “to get” is “got”.
Report PermalinkAngus Kidman
October 26, 2009 at 11:04 PM
I’m all for a bit of grammatical fussiness at times, but arguing that “gotten around” doesn’t exist as a recognisable (and easily comprehended) phrase in contemporary Australian English is simply inaccurate. You mightn’t like it Daniel, but it’s a change that has well and truly worked its way into the language.
Report PermalinkDaniel
October 27, 2009 at 7:31 AM
You’re right, Angus, I’m sorry. How silly of me to expect correct grammar from a professional writer!
Report PermalinkAngus Kidman
October 27, 2009 at 7:45 AM
As a professional writer, one of my main skills is writing in an approriate tone. For Lifehacker, the tone is conversational, and the rules that tone demands are quite distinct from “correct grammar”. And the notion of what’s correct even in formal writing evolve over time, a point many prescriptive grammarians often choose to ignore.
Report PermalinkAndrew
October 30, 2009 at 11:08 PM
Daniel, that might be ill-gotten knowledge.
Report Permalinkjames
October 31, 2009 at 9:29 PM
Angus I think the issue is that this is Lifehacker _AU_. Do you live in Australia? (I’m too lazy to look this up myself.) I’ve never heard anybody say ‘gotten’ in Australia, except for young kids who grow out of it, and can see where Daniel is coming from.
Report PermalinkAngus Kidman
November 1, 2009 at 12:45 AM
@James — yes I do, and I have heard it said here. But clearly it has gotten on some people’s nerves :-)
Report PermalinkEugene C
October 26, 2009 at 2:21 PM
Ok, so there were those ads showing small clips from shows it’s planning to air on 7Two. Two of these shows (Scrubs and Stargate Atlantis), already finished their runs and the boxsets for the seasons have been available for quite a while. CH7 even showed the last episode of Scrubs (and advertised it as such.) I don’t even think CH7 aired the last 2 or 3 seasons of SGA whatsoever (since there’s a SciFi channel for cable TV now, they were aired there)
They also were advertising Ugly Betty, which is extremely late, and I don’t even think they finished the season they were airing last time.
Hell, they also advertised Reaper, and I thought CH9 had the rights to air that (unsure if it’s on GO yet, still haven’t went digital, also I had a CH9 promo disc from a few years back, pretty sure a Reaper trailer was on it). And again with lateness, I believe America has finished their second season on it, so we’re gonna be kinda screwed unless they do 2 episodes per whatever night they’ll air on (kind of like one of the seasons of 24.)
No wonder Australia tends to torrent now.
Report PermalinkCitizen Charles
October 26, 2009 at 2:50 PM
7 might be the most user unfriendly channel of the lot. Their track record of changing timeslots for major programs, seemingly at a whim (probably some mistaken commercial based decision) is simply epic.
Their treatment of The Sopranos and recently, Lost are cases in point. I for one was driven away and reluctantly just downloaded the episodes, had my (small) house parties at a regular, reliable and sensible time and got on with things. 7 missed me and my friends watching their ads and generally commercial TV lost friends.
Looks like their absurdly late entry into this market will partly be aimed at showing SF they’ve bought (including the still outstanding Lost). Remains to be seen whether they’ll show things which are current and stick with their programming coz as it is I try and avoid 7 as much as pos.
I reckon the targeting Go (9) has done may work – I’m not young but I know and appreciate what they are programming and I guess being a season late with the venerable and still best of class Survivor is tolerable.
Report PermalinkAndrew Swan
October 26, 2009 at 9:13 PM
The Sopranos was on Nine, not Seven.
Report Permalinkkwv
October 30, 2009 at 12:44 AM
Last time I checked this story was about “Seven’s Second Channel To Launch November 1″ and not about other people Grammar.
So while others are attacking each other, because they won’t admit they don’t have a opinion on the subject.
Lets talk about the issue “Seven’s Second Channel To Launch November 1″, hey I am willing to watch High-definition television if someone is willing to buy me a decent size TV?
Report PermalinkDave F
November 4, 2009 at 12:47 PM
I don’t see why the inclusion of Emmerdale and Coronation Street are “odd”. With a high proportion of Brits in Australia I think its shrewd and intelligent programming and will further reduce pay TV audiences i.e UK TV. At the end of the day when you look through a pay TV guide there is nothing that says watch me!! Or have I gotten the wrong idea?
Report Permalinkbugwan
December 23, 2009 at 3:21 PM
Daniel, English is a transient language. The rules of grammar change with time, most of us have gotten used to it!
Regarding 7Two, I can only hope that the programming improves as they settle in…at least GO! secured some easy wins with Seinfeld (and possibly Frasier)…
Report Permalink