New Zealand television review site Throng has today launched a world-first web 2.0 television listings format. In development for more than two years, the new format replaces the traditional TV guide grid and makes it easier to find what is on at a glance. Shows are displayed based on what is on now, what starts in the next hour and what is on in prime time tonight. Shows are weighted according to popularity on throng.co.nz. Members of the website throng.co.nz personalise their listings to highlight their favourite shows and hide ones they’re not interested in.
“We’ve thought long and hard about TV listings and what we’d like them to be. We found traditional listings hard to scan because they’re organised by channel and you can easily miss things. We’ve removed the clutter and made your choice simpler,” says co-founder Regan Cunliffe, also at Cre8d design.
See the new look listings from today at throng.co.nz.
Chasers War on Everything, the ABC comedy show, must have had an all-time high on ratings last night with their clip showing their trip into the APEC exclusion zone posing as a Canadian motorcade. Here it is on YouTube.
Apart from the cultural value of expressing Australian identity in terms of larrikin behaviour, the stunt served another basic purpose: the test of assumptions around security. Good one!
Freeview, New Zealand’s free-to-air digital television service, was switched on in Auckland on Wednesday April 26. The service will make available digital quality material from TV1, TV2, TV3, C4, Maori TV channels, plus Radio New Zealand National and RNZ Concert programmes.
Only problem is that to receive the digital broadcast New Zealanders will have to invest in a set-top box (up to $300) and a satellite dish (up to $400) to get the Direct To Home broadcast (DTH). Eventually the digital channels will be available via Digital Terrestrial Telvision (DTT) and the satellite dishes won’t be needed.
A couple of weeks ago I had a chat with a family member who’s working with Sky in New Zealand, who work with the satellite system as well. It appears as though Sky is not in the least worried about the free-to-air rollout. If you’re going to fork out for a satellite dish, you may as well connect up with Sky, and access the huge range of channels they offer. TVNZ expects to launch a 24 hours news channel in September, and a family channel called ‘Home’ in March 2008. CanWest Mediaworks, owner of TV3 and C4, hasn’t revealed its plans for extra programmes.
We’ve been receiving digital television at home in Australia for the last four months. It has been worth the investment of a set top box but we haven’t had to worry about the cost of a satellite dish. Australia free digital television went with terrestrial UHF transmission right from the start. What convinced us to upgrade was the ghosting analog reception that became worse once digital signals started. It’s great having DVD quality TV now, though occasionally the signal falls out altogether. ABC and SBS have put in extra channels and Channel 7, 9 and 10 have added interactivity to their channels. I’m hanging out for the chance to have an affordable High Definition television to make the most of the digital offerings, and even to record in HD quality. That would be good.
