Filmstalker: Channel 4 buys Fox films

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Channel 4 buys Fox films

The UK company Channel 4 has purchased a whole heap of Twentieth Century Fox's back catalogue in order to populate their film channel Film Four.

Currently the channel is on subscription only service, but it's soon set to go free and that means it needs way more content than it has at the moment. I've seen it and although they pick great movies, you'll not be watching it that often, they repeat more than the BBC!

However this move, caught through the BBC. This is good news for those of us who aren't wanting to pay extended subscription packages to have little film choices and would rather stay on free services...like me!

Twentieth Century Fox said it was the largest deal it had completed with a UK broadcaster, with a figure of $250m (£149.9m) being reported.
Among the films included in the deal are Dodgeball, The Day After Tomorrow, X-Men 3 and The Omen 666.

The deal comes as Channel 4 prepares to launch its movie channel FilmFour as a free-to-air channel in July.

Written by Richard Brunton on March 10, 2006 | Permalink

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Comments

This means I should definitely buy a tv soon!

Posted by: Simone | March 10, 2006 12:13 PM

Hmm - if it is going to go free then will movies now have ad breaks in them?

Posted by: Dave Morrow | March 10, 2006 12:19 PM

Set to go free? Will that be within a package rather than it's stand-alone subscription? Or is the plane proper manner free-to-air and broadcast via Freeview?

Don't get me started on the other Channel 4 "free-to-air" channels (E4, E4+1, More4) that Sky don't let you watch without the minimum subscription >:-S

Posted by: Lee | March 10, 2006 12:36 PM

As far as I understand Lee it's totally free, as in available on Freeview with no top-up card required.

I've just purchased a freeview box for about £40, and I receive those channels non-subscription. I guess for Sky users though you'll be expected to pay.

Posted by: Richard Brunton | March 10, 2006 4:41 PM

Got a freeview tuner built into the TV, so when ER's on the Mrs has to watch it downstairs 'cos she can't get E4 through Sky upstairs. Which relegates me to a smaller screen.

Filmfour isn't currently available through Top-Up TV either, only cable & satellitejust now. Hope this heralds a new era, and gets the other C4 channels on free-to-air properly.

Posted by: Lee | March 10, 2006 6:05 PM

Looks like Sky viewers will still have to pay. Sky have a FreeSat freeview kinda thing which costs a one off payment of £150. Sadly they don't list E4, More4 so I'm guessing you'll still need to keep your sub for FilmFour. More here: http://www.freesatfromsky.com/?pID=3

Posted by: Kev | March 12, 2006 6:14 PM

Ad breaks - YES
Available to Sky customers, subscribers or not - YES

Full FAQ here:
http://www.channel4.com/film/ffchannel/features/C/changes_at_filmfour.html

Posted by: Lee | March 13, 2006 9:43 AM

FilmFour going free? I hadn't heard. Great if they don't have ads, awful if they do. (IMHO...)

Posted by: Patrick | March 13, 2006 12:07 PM