CCX TV is launching on Wednesday morning (15th April), exclusively on digital terrestrial TV service Freeview, where it has been assigned channel 23.
It will feature true crime and biographical documentaries during the day, and new episodes of long-running US soap The Bold and The Beautiful in the evening, marking a return to free-to-air UK terrestrial TV for the soap. Omnibus episodes of The Bold and The Beautiful will be broadcast at the weekend.
A three hour simulcast of Create and Craft will be broadcast between 7am and 10am, providing an opportunity for viewers tuning in to channel 23 for their usual craft shopping experience to be redirected to Create and Craft's new home on channel 95.
How to watch CCX TV...
CCX officially launches on Freeview channel 23. However, the channel has been broadcasting a placeholder on channel 95 since February, so many viewers may already find the service in their channel list on 95.
It will swap with Create and Craft and move to channel 23 for its launch. But if you don't have a TV that doesn't automatically retune, it will stay on channel 95.
What are its broadcast hours?
CCX is a part-time channel and will operate between 7am and 10pm.
Will it be replacing another service?
Since February, Create and Craft has been simulcasing on channel 23 and channel 790 via two different Freeview multiplexes.
This simulcast will end and anyone who hasn't retuned since February will lose Create and Craft. Create and Craft will continue on channel 95 for those who retune from Wednesday.
Is it available on Sky, Virgin Media or Freesat?
No.
Is it available on YouView (BT, TalkTalk TV)?
Yes - as YouView boxes piggyback off the Freeview signal, YouView users will be able to watch CCX TV on channel 23.
Who is behind the service?
Officially, the service is licensed to Ideal Shopping Direct, the operator of the Ideal World and Create & Craft TV channels.
Why would a teleshopping company launch an entertainment channel?
An apparently unusual move for a teleshopping channel, especially given the current ad slump affecting commercial broadcasters. But given CCX's association with Ideal Shopping, it means it gets to swap with Create and Craft, gifting it a prime Freeview slot- channel 23 - which is probably the channel's biggest asset.
This is a potential money spinner for Ideal Shopping: slots closer to the top of the channel list are highly desired on all platforms.
But as Freeview channel numbers can not be traded between broadcasters in the same way Sky channels can, but entire channels can be sold from one broadcaster to another, it sets CCX TV up as a channel that is ready for a future sale to another broadcaster on Freeview wanting a prime slot or a new entrant to Freeview that doesn't want to launch right at the bottom of the channel list. Sony Movies, CBS Justice, Blaze and FreeSports all have their current Freeview channel numbers due to similar manoeuvres in the past, using loopholes in Freeview's channel number allocation rules.
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