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64-789: Top Up TV was a pay TV service in the United Kingdom that was launched in March 2004, operating on the digital terrestrial television platform. The service aimed to "top up" Freeview customers by providing additional content and services through encrypted TV channels unavailable to other viewers. The service offered a variety of content from various providers through 'TV Favourites', and old and low-budget movies from NBCUniversal through PictureBox Movies , all of which could be viewed on demand . Top Up TV formerly offered live premium sports channels including ESPN , Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 2 . The service could be received by equipment having

128-469: A trial period , often one to three months, though there have been rare instances of free trials for pay services that last up to one year for newer subscribers to that provider's television service. Pay television has become popular with cable and satellite television . Pay television services often, at least two to three times per year, provide free previews of their services, in order to court potential subscribers by allowing this wider audience to sample

192-440: A CI slot mostly found on modern IDTVs to enable decryption of encrypted services. Whilst Top Up TV offered a branded CAM, only ESPN could be received. This is due to BSkyB having concerns with the security of these modules meaning Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 2 are not available. CI+ CAMs were due to become available to overcome such security concerns, offering access to Sky Sports and ESPN from August 2011, but there were delays to

256-463: A blue oblong containing a window, however this was changed to a red background featuring a stylised 'H&L', staying like this until 2005. The channel was relaunched as Discovery Real Time on 7 May 2005 in the British market. The channel aimed at complementing the female-skewed Discovery Home & Health (which itself replaced Discovery Health). A sister channel called Discovery Real Time Extra

320-449: A built-in card slot : a DVB-T set-top box , a recorder or an integrated television receiver . As of July 2013, there were approximately 200,000 subscribers. In late 2013, Top Up TV ceased broadcasting and sold its subscriber business to Sky . The company was founded by two former BSkyB executives, David Chance and Ian West. The management team consisted of Chance as chairman and Nick Markham as chief executive officer. Top Up TV

384-494: A conditional-access module from October 2011. This was possible only via CI+ compatible IDTVs and set-top boxes. Top Up TV offered its services over a range of devices. The Top Up TV Freeview+ DTRs offered all services from Top Up TV. All Top Up TV set-top boxes and CAMs allowed access to ESPN whilst the CI+ CAM and approved set-top boxes allowed viewers to subscribe to Sky Sports and ESPN. A viewing smartcard (viewing card)

448-406: A crude decrypting of the over-the-air television signal and a decoding box, but never caught on for use at that time. It took another four decades when cable broadcasters started using pay-per-view on a widespread basis. "Free" variants are free-to-air (FTA) and free-to-view (FTV); however, FTV services are normally encrypted and decryption cards either come as part of an initial subscription to

512-632: A focus on their parent companies' libraries, with HBO Now replaced by HBO Max (now Max) in 2020 (which adds content from other Warner Bros. properties and third-parties, and would also be included with existing HBO subscriptions via television providers), and Showtime formally merging with Paramount+ in 2023. Canadian premium service The Movie Network similarly merged with the CraveTV service owned by parent company Bell Media in 2018. Pay-per-view (PPV) services are similar to subscription-based pay television services in that customers must pay to have

576-480: A free-to-air channel and was replaced by British Eurosport which began broadcasting on the platform on 1 June 2005. Toonami also joined the line-up. Discovery Home & Leisure was rebranded Discovery Real Time. In its first year of operation, the company made losses of £7 million. The original service broke even at 250,000 subscribers (according to some sources) around the Time Top Up TV Anytime

640-513: A lower subscription fee. These are called "mini-pay" channels (a term also used for smaller scale commercial-free pay television services) and are often sold as a part of a package with numerous similarly priced channels. Usually, however, the regular pricing for premium channels ranges from just under $ 10 to near $ 25 per month per suite, with lower prices available via bundling options with cable or satellite providers, or special limited offers which are available during free preview periods or before

704-417: A main flagship channel is accompanied by secondary services with distinct schedules focusing on specific genres and audiences (such as multiplexes focusing more on "classic" films, or family-oriented programming), time shifting , or brand licensing deals (such as channels focusing specifically on Disney films , or content from U.S. pay television brands if they do not specifically run their own network in

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768-535: A mix of original series, films, and specials. The shift towards SVOD has resulted in increasing competition within the sector, with media conglomerates having launched their own services (such as Disney+ , Paramount+ , Peacock , and Disney's acquisition of the majority of Hulu ) to compete, and existing premium networks such as HBO ( HBO Now ) and Showtime launching direct-to-consumer versions of their existing services to appeal to cord cutters . HBO and Showtime later absorbed their DTC offerings into wider services with

832-501: A pay television bouquet – in other words, an offer of pay-TV channels – or can be purchased for a one-time cost. FTA and FTV systems may still have selective access. ABC Australia is one example, as much of its programming content is free-to-air except for National Rugby League (NRL) games, which are encrypted. Discovery Home %26 Leisure (UK) Discovery Real Time was a British television channel owned by Discovery Networks UK focused on educational and learning content. It

896-487: A per-day basis, but closed down after Channel 4 wanted the stream back for its own use. This was replaced for a time by Top Up TV Pay As You Go. Top Up TV Active was an interactive advertising service that replaced the off-air MHEG screens on channel 107; it also featured an audio version of QuizWorld. In August 2005, Setanta Sports broadcast live pay-per-view Scottish Premier League matches in conjunction with Top Up TV, using Top Up TV's Xtraview technology. Originally this

960-494: A promotional video presented by Alice Beer ran on the channel placeholders and the Top Up TV Sampler channel. From March 2004, Top Up TV provided a package of 10 timeshared TV channels which was joined by an eleventh in 2005: UKTV Gold , UKTV Style , UKTV Food , Discovery Channel , Discovery Home & Leisure , TCM , E4 , Bloomberg , Cartoon Network and Boomerang . On 27 May 2005, E4 left Top Up TV to become

1024-693: A restriction as a few providers optionally sell that service without requiring a Showtime subscription. Unlike other cable networks, premium services are almost always subscribed to a la carte , meaning that one can, for example, subscribe to HBO without subscribing to Showtime (in Canada, there are slight modifications, as most providers include U.S. superstations – such as WAPA-TV – with their main premium package by default). However, subscribing to an "individual" service automatically includes access to all of that service's available multiplex channels and, in some cases, access to content via video-on-demand (in

1088-425: A seasonal package. They are typically the most expensive type of pay services, generally running in the range of $ 35 to $ 50 per month. Some pay services also offer pornographic films ; Cinemax was well known for carrying a late-night block of softcore films and series known as "Max After Dark"—a reputation that led to the network often being nicknamed "Skinemax" by viewers. Cinemax phased out this programming in

1152-540: A short time during the 1980s, and unlike other general-interest pay services accepted outside advertising for broadcast during its sports telecasts), Preview , SelecTV and ON TV in the late 1970s, but those services disappeared as competition from cable television expanded during the 1980s. In Australia , Foxtel , Optus Television and TransACT are the major pay television distributors, all of which provide cable services in some metropolitan areas , with Foxtel providing satellite service for all other areas where cable

1216-495: A slot, an IDTV with a slot or through a Top Up TV Freeview+ box. It replaced Setanta Sports 1 when its parent company went into administration and was closed. Because this channel time-shared with the downloads for the TV Favourites service, it was barred from broadcasting 24 hours a day. Between Setanta Sports 1 closing and ESPN launching, ESPN America filled airtime whilst carriage negotiations were ongoing. The channel

1280-401: A specific market). Typically, these services are bundled together with the main channel at no additional charge, and cannot be purchased separately. Depending on local regulations, pay television services generally have more lenient content standards because of their relatively narrower distribution, and not being subject to pressure from sponsors to tone down content. As a result, programming

1344-517: A transponder on the Astra 1C satellite with the Discovery Channel , which started its broadcasts at 4.00pm. It was later rebranded as Discovery Home & Leisure on 3 April 1997, but full day broadcasting started with the launch of Sky Digital from 1 October 1998. On 22 May 2001, a timeshift channel called Discovery Home & Leisure +1 was launched. From 1997 to 2002, the logo was

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1408-651: A year if they went through Top Up TV. Until June 2015, the company continued to run conditional access to the Freeview platform which BT used to broadcast BT Sports 1 and 2. Launched in December 2006 as Top Up TV Anytime, the service offered video on demand content from many channels. In 2009, Top Up TV Anytime was rebranded as TV Favourites, as Top Up TV no longer needed the Anytime brand to differentiate its on-demand service from its previous linear service. The service

1472-485: Is Canal+ and its scrambled services, which operated in France from 1984 to the 2011 closedown of analogue television, Spain from 1990 to 2005 and Poland from 1995 to 2001. Some U.S. television stations launched pay services (known simply as "subscription television" services) such as SuperTV , Wometco Home Theater , PRISM (which principally operated as a cable service, only being simultaneously carried over-the-air for

1536-707: Is not available. Austar formerly operated as a satellite pay service, until it merged with Foxtel and SelecTV . The major distributors of pay television in New Zealand are Sky Network Television on satellite and Vodafone on cable. In the 2010s, over-the-top subscription video on demand (SVOD) services distributed via internet video emerged as a major competitor to traditional pay television, with services such as Amazon Video , Hulu , and Netflix gaining prominence. Similarly to pay television services, their libraries include acquired content (which can not only include films, but acquired television series as well), and

1600-571: Is still offered by BT TV under their BT Sport package. Sky Sports 1 and 2 were also offered as of 2 August 2010 as Ofcom 's pay-TV review saw the channels being offered under a wholesale must offer (WMO) agreement which effectively forces BSkyB to offer these channels to its competitors. Using capacity which BT secured and used to offer the same channels to its BT Vision subscribers, Top Up TV also offered these two channels to its subscribers which officially launched on 2 August 2010. Top Up TV had been able to offer Sky Sports 1 & 2, and ESPN via

1664-717: Is typically aired with limited to no edits for time or, where applicable, mature content such as graphic violence , profanity , nudity , and sexual activity . As premium television services are commonly devoid of traditional commercial advertising, breaks between programming typically include promotions for upcoming programs , and interstitial segments (such as behind-the-scenes content, interviews, and other feature segments). Some sports-based pay services, however, may feature some commercial advertising, particularly if they simulcast sporting events that are broadcast by advertiser-supported television networks. In addition, most general interest or movie-based pay services do not adhere to

1728-633: Is used to unlock customers' services. Top Up TV used the Nagravision Merlin (NagraVision 3) encryption since a card swap in 2008. Previously programmes were encrypted by MediaGuard SECA2, a more secure version of the encryption system of previous digital terrestrial incumbent ITV Digital . All Top Up TV set top boxes and DTRs were required to have at least an 8-day EPG, similar to the requirement for normal Freeview boxes. A range of Top Up TV Freeview+ digital TV recorders, also known as DTRs, automatically records programmes broadcast overnight, which

1792-610: The Wimbledon tennis tournament. Specialty pay sports channels also exist—often focusing on international sports considered niche to domestic audiences (such as, in the United States, cricket ), and are typically sold at a higher expense than traditional premium services. Out-of-market sports packages in North America are multi-channel pay services carrying professional or collegiate sporting events which are sold in

1856-563: The business cycle , some broadcasters try to balance them with more stable income from subscriptions. Some providers offer services owned by the same company in a single package. For example, American satellite provider DirecTV offers the Encore channels along with the Starz multiplex (both owned by Lionsgate 's Starz Inc. ) in its "Starz Super Pack"; and The Movie Channel , Flix and SundanceTV (the latter of which continues to be sold in

1920-789: The multiplex D licence on the DTT service in 2002 in a joint application with Carlton , Granada and Channel 4 , trading as the Digital Terrestrial Alliance (DTA). The company were prepared to offer a "viable" and "lite-pay" service, which would have provided a large number of free-to-air channels and a few pay-TV ones. The bid was unsuccessful, and the licence was instead awarded to the BBC, BSkyB and Crown Castle , which later became National Grid Wireless . After unsuccessful multiplex bid, Top Up TV turned to public service broadcasters Channel 5 and Channel 4 to gain capacity on

1984-586: The 2010s, citing that it did not align with its current focus on action programming, and that internet porn and the amount of sexual content in other mainstream premium series (such as Game of Thrones ) made a specific block for such content redundant. Specialized channels dedicated to pornographic films also exist, that carry either softcore adult programs (such as Playboy TV ), or more hardcore content (such as The Erotic Network and Hustler TV ). Pay television channels come in different price ranges. Many channels carrying advertising combine this income with

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2048-472: The DirecTV package despite Showtime Networks no longer owning Sundance, that channel is now owned by AMC Networks ) along with Showtime in its "Showtime Unlimited" package; Cinemax and its multiplex networks, in turn, are almost always packaged with HBO (both owned by Warner Bros. Discovery ). Though selling premium services that are related by ownership as a package is common, that may not always be

2112-546: The TV Favourites and PictureBox packages letters informing them that the service would cease broadcasting on 31 October 2013 and that all remaining subscriptions will cease automatically. TUTV advised that the hardware will continue to work as a Freeview decoder. This brought the period of uncertainty about TUTV's future to an end. On 31 October, Top Up TV placed a notice on their website stating that they had ceased broadcasting. The company sold their subscriber business to Sky where new subscribers to Sky could get up to 50% off for

2176-737: The aforementioned leniency in content standards, they too can contain content that is more mature than those of other cable channels or television networks . These series also tend to be high-budget and aim for critical success in order to attract subscribers: notable premium series, such as HBO 's Curb Your Enthusiasm , Game of Thrones , Sex and the City , and The Sopranos , and Showtime 's Dexter , Homeland , and Weeds , have achieved critical acclaim and have won various television awards. Some premium channels also broadcast television specials , which most commonly consist of concerts and concert films , documentaries , stand-up comedy , and in

2240-419: The broadcast decrypted for viewing, but usually only entail a one-time payment for a single or time-limited viewing. Programs offered via pay-per-view are most often movies or sporting events, but may also include other events, such as concerts and even softcore adult programs. In the U.S., the initial concept and technology for pay-per-view for broadcast television was first developed in the early 1950s, including

2304-428: The common top and bottom of the hour scheduling of other cable channels and terrestrial broadcasters. As such, programs often air using either conventional scheduling or have airtimes in five-minute increments (for example, 7:05 a.m. or 4:40 p.m.); since such channels broadcast content without in-program break interruptions, this sometimes leads to extended or abbreviated breaks between programs, depending on when

2368-448: The company went bust. In 2009, Top Up TV Anytime was rebranded into TV Favourites, spawning PictureBox and the newly launched ESPN into viewing packs available as part of TV Favourites or available separately. Monday 2 August 2010 saw Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 2 launch through Top Up TV. Originally, four streams were used to distribute the TV Favourites service, but the fourth stream was taken off air on 11 January 2010. The third stream

2432-647: The form of a conventional VOD television service, and in some cases, a companion on-demand streaming service as well). Most pay television providers also offer a selection of premium services (for example, the HBO, Showtime and Starz packages) in one bundle at a greatly reduced price than it would cost to purchase each service separately, as an inducement for subscribers to remain with their service provider or for others to induce subscribers into using their service. Similarly, many television providers offer general interest or movie-based premium channels at no additional charge for

2496-533: The front or rear of the DTR. Initially, Top Up TV made use of set-top boxes with viewing card slots to offer a linear pay TV service. At launch, only ex- ITV Digital boxes were available, but new boxes were soon produced, bearing the "Top Up TV Ready" logo. Since the unavoidable move towards on demand , the live channel hours were reduced and eventually closed. All previous "Top Up TV Ready" set-top boxes with viewing card slots were later only able to receive ESPN. With

2560-713: The launch due to Top Up TV having difficulties trying to identify compatible devices. These devices finally appeared in October 2011. More than 400,000 television service subscribers. Pay television The term is most synonymous with premium entertainment services focused on films or general entertainment programming such as, in the United States, Cinemax , HBO , MGM+ , Showtime , and Starz , but such services can also include those devoted to sports , as well as adult entertainment . In contrast to most other multichannel television broadcasters, which depend on advertising and carriage fees as their sources of revenue,

2624-539: The launch of Sky Sports in 2010, BSkyB insisted that the viewing smart card must be paired to the set-top box. Whilst Top Up TV Freeview+ DTR's have this facility using the CAN number, few other set-top boxes offered this facility and had to be approved by Top Up TV. These approved boxes included the i-CAN Freeview HD Box, the Top Up TV T215 and Sagem IDT68 and IDT72. A conditional-access module can be inserted into

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2688-454: The launch of a network's prestige series. However, some other channels, such as sports and adult networks may ask for monthly pricing that may go as high as near $ 50 a month. There are also premium television services which are priced significantly higher than the mini-pay channels, but they compensate for their higher price by carrying little or no advertising and also providing a higher quality program output. As advertising sales are sensitive to

2752-557: The logo of their respective channel in favour of a uniform genre list. Providers that were available at the time were: Comedy/Drama Factual PictureBox was a movies service in which around 28 old and low-budget movies were downloaded to the subscriber's Top Up TV Freeview+ box every night for a monthly fee. Movies offered were from the NBCUniversal library. Seven films were available at any one time, with titles being refreshed nightly. The service launched in October 2006 and

2816-467: The majority of pay television services rely almost solely on monthly subscription fees paid by individual customers. As a result, pay television outlets are most concerned with offering content that can justify the cost of the service, which helps to attract new subscribers, and retain existing subscribers. Many pay television services consist of multiple individual channels, referred to as " multiplex " services (in reference to multiplex cinemas ), where

2880-603: The new service and began offering content on an on-demand basis. PictureBox Movies launched as a premium movies add-on in October 2006. Also in 2006, Inview Technology launched the world's first push-VOD service for Top Up TV. On 11 February 2007, Top Up TV's per-per-view Scottish Premier League matches were discontinued, and the Setanta Sports channel was made available on Top Up TV by a separate subscription. The Setanta Sports channel ceased broadcasting in June 2009 after

2944-494: The original term of license agreements with a distributor may also be broadcast as "sub-runs", in which a service holds rights to film long after the conclusion of a distribution agreement (under this arrangement, the pay service that originally licensed the rights to a particular film title, or one other than that which had held rights, may hold the broadcast rights through a library content deal). Many general interest premium channels also produce original television series . Due to

3008-474: The packaging was a Top Up TV bespoke remote control and SCART lead, a signal improvement kit, an RF lead and a power cable. Printed materials include the Top Up TV welcome pack, a remote control codes guide and an instruction manual. The rear of the box had two SCART sockets, two tuners , an S-Video output, analogue phono output and Digital Audio output. It featured a powered but functionless USB port on

3072-597: The past, theatrical plays . Sports programming is also featured on some premium services; HBO was historically known for its broadcasts of boxing , while Showtime and Epix also carry mixed martial arts events. Some general interest premium channels have aired other professional sporting events in the past: HBO for example, carried games from the National Hockey League (NHL), National Basketball Association (NBA) and American Basketball Association (ABA) in its early years, and from 1975 to 1999 aired

3136-435: The platform. On multiplex A , Top Up TV were granted four long-term streams (one of which previously hosted TV Travel Shop ), and on multiplex 2 , were granted one short-term stream from Channel 4. They came up with a time-shared system which allowed 10 pay-TV channels to be broadcast in the space of five television streams, two of which were allotted "empty" space, which later became ABC1 and Teachers' TV . The sixth stream

3200-521: The previous program concludes and when the start time of the next program is. The only universal variation to this is prime time , where the main channel in each pay service's suite usually schedules films to start on the hour. Films comprise much of the content seen on most pay television services, particularly those with a general entertainment format and those that focus exclusively on films . Services often obtain rights to films through exclusive agreements with film distributors . Films acquired during

3264-582: The service for a period of days or weeks; these are typically scheduled to showcase major special event programming, such as the pay cable premiere of a blockbuster feature film, the premiere (either a series or season premiere ) of a widely anticipated or critically acclaimed original series or occasionally, a high-profile special (such as a concert). Subscription services transmitted via analogue terrestrial television have also existed, to varying degrees of success. The most known example of such service in Europe

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3328-465: The situation: for example, in the United States, Cinemax and Encore are optionally sold separately from or in a single package with their respective parent networks HBO and Starz, depending on the service provider. The Movie Channel and Flix meanwhile, are usually sold together with Showtime (all three channels are owned by Paramount Global ); though subscribers are required to purchase Showtime in order to receive Flix, The Movie Channel does not have such

3392-633: The user can then watch on-demand. The first generation box was manufactured by Thomson – Thomson DTI 6300-16 containing a 160GB HDD. Higher capacity boxes were introduced later on with the Thomson DTI 6300–25, effectively the Thomson DTI 6300-16 with a 250GB HDD. Different manufacturer's equipment such as Luxor, Bush, Sharp, Wharfdale and a new Thomson box were available from retailers such as Argos and ASDA. These newer boxes contain varying degrees of capacity ranging from 160GB to 500GB. Included in

3456-489: Was Bob Ross ' The Joy of Painting , given that TLC chasing a completely different demographic than the old version and treating it as a new channel launch rather than a return. In 2018, the channel launched in South Africa for MultiChoice 's DStv on 15 April 2019, as well as StarTimes (channel 161 satellite, channel 158 terrestrial) and in 2020 on Canal+ Afrique (channel 47 and 400). This article on

3520-710: Was 20% owned by Channel 5 and restructured during 2006, with the original company liquidated under Members Voluntary Liquidation under the name Minds1. The owner of Access Industries , Len Blavatnik , is said to have purchased a 70% stake in January 2007. According to the Registre de Commerce et des Sociétés of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the accounts lodged by Top Up TV Europe S.a.r.l. in 2010 indicated costs of €38 million, debts of €23 million and ongoing losses of €21 million. Top Up TV, as Newincco 166 Ltd , bid for

3584-408: Was announced. This figure fell significantly short of the claimed potential subscriber numbers of 650,000 as set out in the original Freeview Plus proposal document, due to the differing market in 2004 and increasing competition from Sky (who had acquired ITV Digital's customer details) and cable TV companies. Top Up TV provided additional services such as Xtraview which offered Top Up TV channels on

3648-610: Was launched on 22 August 2005. On 20 March 2009, it was replaced with Discovery Shed . Discovery Real Time is also available in some other regions, including France and Italy . The channel used to be available in Asia since October 2008, and it has become the Indian version of Discovery Turbo . The channel closed along with Discovery Travel & Living at 6.00am on 30 April 2013, to be replaced by TLC and Investigation Discovery +1. The final signature programme for Discovery Real Time

3712-567: Was only accessible through a Top Up TV DVB-T DVR set top box. Content was available by pressing the Top Up TV button on the remote whilst watching a TV channel or perusing the EPG. Over time, channels like Living and Home were phased out, replaced by programmes from the BBC , Warner Bros. Television and The Walt Disney Company . The channel icons displayed on the Top Up TV EPG changed from being

3776-499: Was only available to viewers in Scotland, but was made available nationwide in early 2006. By 9 February 2007, all but two live channels on the service had been replaced with the push video-on-demand service, as the original package was slowly phased out. However, premium sports could still be accessed on a live basis. The Xtraview access control system was still in use for TelevisionX . On 30 August 2006, Top Up TV announced that it

3840-562: Was originally launched on 9 March 1992 as The Learning Channel , United Kingdom 's version of the American television network of the same name as a daytime service from Intelsat , mostly aimed at cable systems, and was initially broadcast on the Discovery Channel's frequency. When the Discovery Channel launched on Astra satellite on 22 July 1993, it didn't initially carry TLC in the daytime. From 5 September 1994, it shared

3904-756: Was pulled from air roughly ten months later. The first stream under the name of "Top Up TV Anytime 1" in the EPG timeshared with ESPN, and the second stream under the name of "Top Up TV Anytime 3" in the EPG timeshared with Home, Gold, and Television X. In June 2013, following the acquisition of ESPN by BT Sport and the announcement of the removal of Sky Sports 1 & 2 from the Digital Terrestrial Television ( DTT ) network by BT, Top Up TV began sending letters to their customers stating that their premium sports package(s) would be discontinued. Sky Sports 1 & 2 were removed on 1 July, and ESPN on 1 August. In September, Top Up TV sent customers on

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3968-452: Was the first premium add-on available to Top Up TV customers. Top Up TV was the first platform in the world to host the service along with its TV programmes spin-off, TV Box. Entertainment, factual and comedy News and sport Film Kids ESPN was a premium sport channel offering Premier League football, among other sports, for a monthly fee. The channel could be accessed through a conditional-access module (CAM), set top box with

4032-575: Was to launch a new service known as Top Up TV Anytime. The new service required a Top Up TV Anytime DTR, effectively a digital terrestrial television recorder, which allowed access to on-demand and encrypted channels. The original service, following Anytime's launch, was later mostly phased out, being reduced to two live non-sport channels, Gold and Home . Existing channels of the original service at launch closed down or had their hours reduced before being phased out completely. These channels, along with new channels such as Living and Disney Channel , joined

4096-492: Was used as a temporary measure (as of the short-term contract with Channel 4), and hosted pay-per-view channels Xtraview and Red Hot . Top Up TV focused less on the premium services which had been prominent on ITV Digital prior to 2002. By 2005, eleven channels were available on the service but were all timeshared. Overnight this dropped to as few as two channels (from the main package), in order to make space for premium adult entertainment channels. From its launch in 2004,

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