From: The Peterborough Evening Telegraph 17 Feb 2012
CONCERN for the future of a Peterborough-based home shopping channel has been raised following proposals to change its channel number.
MP for Peterborough Stewart Jackson has spoken out against plans to move Ideal Shopping Direct (ISD), which employs 618 people in the city, down the list of channels on Freeview.
Digital Television Multiplex Operators Ltd manages the channel number allocation, but is run by the BBC, ITV Channel 4 and Arqiva.
The proposal is to move ISD from channel 22, which it has occupied since 2004, to a less prominent channel, lumping it with other retail channels and making room for more entertainment channels.
Mr Stewart said he felt ISD’S business was “under threat” by the move.
He said: “I’m going to take the matter directly up with ministers to ensure the job prospects of my constituents at Ideal Shopping Direct are not compromised or threatened.”
ISD is calling for more regulation over the system of allocation.
A spokesman for ISD said: “The potential cost to ISD of any forced move under this unfair system would be millions of pounds in lost revenue. It would unnecessarily confuse and inconvenience millions of viewers, harm our double digit growth in a very competitive retail market space and thus threaten the security of our 618-plus UK workers.”
CONCERN for the future of a Peterborough-based home shopping channel has been raised following proposals to change its channel number.
MP for Peterborough Stewart Jackson has spoken out against plans to move Ideal Shopping Direct (ISD), which employs 618 people in the city, down the list of channels on Freeview.
Digital Television Multiplex Operators Ltd manages the channel number allocation, but is run by the BBC, ITV Channel 4 and Arqiva.
The proposal is to move ISD from channel 22, which it has occupied since 2004, to a less prominent channel, lumping it with other retail channels and making room for more entertainment channels.
Mr Stewart said he felt ISD’S business was “under threat” by the move.
He said: “I’m going to take the matter directly up with ministers to ensure the job prospects of my constituents at Ideal Shopping Direct are not compromised or threatened.”
ISD is calling for more regulation over the system of allocation.
A spokesman for ISD said: “The potential cost to ISD of any forced move under this unfair system would be millions of pounds in lost revenue. It would unnecessarily confuse and inconvenience millions of viewers, harm our double digit growth in a very competitive retail market space and thus threaten the security of our 618-plus UK workers.”
