BSkyB launched its Sky News Active digital service Monday (June 27). The system uses the equivalent of two digital transmission streams to deliver up to five simultaneous channels on mini-screens. Viewers are presented with the main programme feed, plus four separate feeds on an ‘on demand’ basis. In a normal broadcast day the optional choices are subdivided into ‘top stories’, ‘weather’, ‘showbiz’ and ‘business’. At weekends the business option becomes sport.

But the system also shows offers similar choices presented in a text format, allowing viewers to also see the selected image. Head of Sky News Nick Pollard, speaking exclusively to Interspace last week, said for the first time Sky News will be able to supply a channel to a breaking news image for 24 hours if necessary, yet at the same time maintain a normal bulletin.

ITN, the UK-based news broadcaster, is to launch its own 24-hour all-news channel on August 1 (it began rehearsals last week). Pollard says “There is a particular irony in all this. Definitely the trend is for people to decide for themselves when they want to see something at their convenience. The public hasn’t spontaneously decided this, but driven by technology the trends are opening up these choices to people.”

Sky Sports interactive claims that some 40 per cent of digital subscribers view soccer and cricket through the interactive channel. But Sky News is a smaller audience product, attracting a typical 1 per cent audience share. Pollard, however, defended the investment in interactive news. “Sky has always made a big commitment to Sky News. We take it as a great vote of confidence in Sky News that the technical and production effort has been made. It’s probably fair to say that Sky News is probably not a dish driver, but we regard it as a perfect demonstration of how committed we are to high quality digital television. We also know that people already appreciate Sky News, and will immediately see the benefits of digital news. Besides, we cannot stand by and wait for somebody else to do this. We do not consider this a luxury.”