Timeshift channel
Encyclopedia
A timeshift channel is a television channel carrying a time-delayed rebroadcast of its "parent" channel's output. This channel runs alongside their parent: the term "timeshift" does not refer to a network broadcasting at a later time to reflect a local timezone unless the parent is also available. Often the timeshift channel's branding and advertising will be the same as that of the parent, with the channel number and respective timing being the only distinction between the two, but some, such as Channel 4+1
in the United Kingdom
, will overlay a different digital on-screen graphic
to distinguish the two channels. A few channels, like Film4+1
in the United Kingdom
, do not carry a digital on-screen graphic on its regular channel or its timeshift channel.
and Ireland
, most timeshift channels have a time delay of one hour, and are thus described as a +1 channel – for instance Living has a timeshift channel known as Living+1. More recently, some channels have launched timeshift channels with a delay of two hours – +2 channels. The most notable of these is FX
, though the timeshifted channel is presented as simply FX+, rather than FX+2. UKTV Style had a +2 hour channel but was called UKTV Style 2, it closed in late 2008. Between June 25, 2007 and April 21, 2008 Discovery Channel had a 90 minute timeshift channel dubbed Discovery Channel +1.5. Most timeshift channels are available only via pay TV
, although E4+1, ITV1+1
, ITV2+1
, Channel 4+1
, Dave ja vu and Pick TV+1 are available via the UK digital terrestrial service, Freeview. More4+1
was also available until the launch of Film4
. Cartoon Network+1
shut down on March 6, 2006 in the UK. There are currently 50 timeshift channels
in the UK on Sky, 31 on Virgin Media
.
, timeshift channels typically carry a time delay of two hours, making the time shift channels run on local time in Western Australia. These channels may accordingly be described as +2, such as on Arena
, although the timeshift for W.
is called W2. Only ten timeshift channels currently exist, mostly allocated to entertainment channels.
, Sky Movies 2
was launched as a timeshift channel in July 2007. Freeview launched a timeshift channel for TV3
on March 30, 2009.
, there are two timeshift channels. Private, commercial TVN HD+1
was launched on May 1, 2010 and regional TVS HD+1 on April 30, 2010.
, timeshift channels typically carry a time delay of three hours (in line with the time difference between the east and west
coasts of the US), and are generally called "West" versions (the main channels are generally called "East" versions). For conventional broadcast networks, a timeshift channel is a network affiliate from a market in another time zone
; for cable-only outlets, a timeshift channel is simply the original television program
ming feed retransmitted at a later time, as in the case with timeshift channels in other countries.
The major US terrestrial television network
s broadcast without delay in the Eastern
and Central timezones (UTC-5 and UTC-6, respectively), but delay programmes by one and three hours respectively for the Mountain (UTC-7) and Pacific (UTC-8) time zones. The start of US evening prime time
programmes are typically announced in the form of "8, 7 Central", often written as "8/7c".
Most cable television
channels do not timeshift, with a few notable exceptions. The most notable network to carry a separate full time-shifted feed is Nickelodeon
, which is targeted to minors and as such broadcast programming schedules its programming around a typical school day and sleep schedule. Two separate Nickelodeon feeds exist, with the second being delayed three hours from the first (most digital cable and satellite outlets carry both, with the East Coast feed labeled "Nick 1" and the West Coast feed "Nick 2"). As an alternative, many cable channels, including the cable news
outlets such as Fox News Channel
, CNN
and HLN timeshift most of their prime time programs on their main channel in the late night
time slots, so that they will air in prime time in both the Eastern and Pacific time zones.
Premium channels such as HBO, Showtime and Starz commonly air three-hour delayed feeds of the main channel and their multiplex
channels, though typically digital cable providers only simultaneously carry the East and West coast feeds of the main channel while the multiplex channels are a singular feed (the "East" feed for the Central and Eastern time zones, and the "West" feed for the Pacific and Mountain zones); this allows subscribers to watch a movie, series or special three hours behind or ahead of its original airing in their area (in the case of The Movie Channel
, many cable systems only carry the respective coastal feed of the main channel and its multiplex channel The Movie Channel Xtra, rather than airing the East and West feeds of the primary channel or both channels).
Sporting events are often broadcast live in all time zones, resulting in announcements such as "4 Eastern, 1 Pacific", generally shown as "4 ET/1 PT". In the event of a sporting event leading into the East Coast prime time, the following programs are often said to be "coming up next, except on the West Coast," as additional programming is shifted around to fill the time between the end of the event and the start of West Coast prime times. Many times, this is the programming which was preempted by the effectively earlier time slot in the western zones.
's Eastern
zone and delayed only in Western Canada.
and São Paulo
's official time
and not delayed in the rest of the nation, except for the major terrestrial broadcast networks, three HBO channels and two Cinemax
channels.
XEW-TV
(La Canal de las Estrellas) in Mexico has two timeshift feeds: Canal de las Estrellas +1 and Canal de las Estrellas +2, delayed one and two hours respectively from the main Mexico City feed. These timeshift feeds are broadcast over-the-air in the Mountain and Pacific time zones, and are available on cable in various parts of the country.
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, will overlay a different digital on-screen graphic
Digital on-screen graphic
A digital on-screen graphic is a watermark-like station logo that many television broadcasters overlay over a portion of the screen-area of their programs to identify the channel...
to distinguish the two channels. A few channels, like Film4+1
Film4
Film4 is a free digital television channel available in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, owned and operated by Channel 4, that screens films.-Programming:...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, do not carry a digital on-screen graphic on its regular channel or its timeshift channel.
United Kingdom and Ireland
In the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, most timeshift channels have a time delay of one hour, and are thus described as a +1 channel – for instance Living has a timeshift channel known as Living+1. More recently, some channels have launched timeshift channels with a delay of two hours – +2 channels. The most notable of these is FX
FX (UK)
FX is a television channel in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, owned by Fox, launched in 12 January 2004. It was originally branded as FX289 in reference to its Sky EPG number. It was rebranded to FX in May 2005 as the channel moved in the Sky EPG.FX targets a demographic between 25...
, though the timeshifted channel is presented as simply FX+, rather than FX+2. UKTV Style had a +2 hour channel but was called UKTV Style 2, it closed in late 2008. Between June 25, 2007 and April 21, 2008 Discovery Channel had a 90 minute timeshift channel dubbed Discovery Channel +1.5. Most timeshift channels are available only via pay TV
Pay TV
Pay television, premium television, or premium channels refers to subscription-based television services, usually provided by both analog and digital cable and satellite, but also increasingly via digital terrestrial and internet television...
, although E4+1, ITV1+1
ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
, ITV2+1
ITV2
ITV2 is a 24 hour, free-to-air entertainment television channel in the United Kingdom owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998, and is available on digital television via satellite, cable, IPTV and terrestrial platforms. The channel has the...
, Channel 4+1
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
, Dave ja vu and Pick TV+1 are available via the UK digital terrestrial service, Freeview. More4+1
More4
More4 is a digital television channel, run by British broadcaster Channel 4, that launched on 10 October 2005. It is carried on Freeview, on satellite broadcasters Freesat and Sky, UK IPTV broadcaster TalkTalk TV and on UK cable network Virgin Media and in the Republic of Ireland cable networks...
was also available until the launch of Film4
Film4
Film4 is a free digital television channel available in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, owned and operated by Channel 4, that screens films.-Programming:...
. Cartoon Network+1
Cartoon Network (UK)
Cartoon Network, commonly abbreviated as CN, is a British television channel available on Sky, Virgin Media, TalkTalk TV and UPC Ireland. Distributed by Turner Broadcasting System Europe , the channel primarily shows animated programming and was launched in the UK and Ireland as Cartoon Network...
shut down on March 6, 2006 in the UK. There are currently 50 timeshift channels
in the UK on Sky, 31 on Virgin Media
Virgin Media
Virgin Media Inc. is a company which provides fixed and mobile telephone, television and broadband internet services to businesses and consumers in the United Kingdom...
.
Australia
In AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, timeshift channels typically carry a time delay of two hours, making the time shift channels run on local time in Western Australia. These channels may accordingly be described as +2, such as on Arena
Arena (television network)
Arena is an Australian general entertainment cable and satellite channel available on Foxtel, Austar and Optus Television's subscription platforms.-History:...
, although the timeshift for W.
W. Channel
W is an Australian cable and satellite channel available on Foxtel, Austar and Optus Television's subscription platforms. Originally a retro channel, it moved into Women's interest programming around the late 1990s...
is called W2. Only ten timeshift channels currently exist, mostly allocated to entertainment channels.
New Zealand
In New ZealandNew Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Sky Movies 2
SKY Movies (New Zealand)
Sky Movies is a group of subscription television movie channels in New Zealand operated by Sky Network Television. The original channel, Sky Movies was launched in 1990. A sister channel, Sky Movies 2 was launched towards the end of the 1990s. This was followed by the launch of Sky Movies Greats in...
was launched as a timeshift channel in July 2007. Freeview launched a timeshift channel for TV3
TV3 (New Zealand)
TV3 is a New Zealand commercial television network, owned by MediaWorks New Zealand. Launched on 26 November 1989, the first private television network in New Zealand...
on March 30, 2009.
Poland
In PolandPoland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, there are two timeshift channels. Private, commercial TVN HD+1
TVN (Poland)
TVN is a major Polish commercial television network. The broadcaster was co-founded by Polish businessmen Mariusz Walter and Jan Wejchert. The network launched on October 3, 1997. TVN belongs to the TVN S.A...
was launched on May 1, 2010 and regional TVS HD+1 on April 30, 2010.
United States
In the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, timeshift channels typically carry a time delay of three hours (in line with the time difference between the east and west
Pacific Time Zone
The Pacific Time Zone observes standard time by subtracting eight hours from Coordinated Universal Time . The clock time in this zone is based on the mean solar time of the 120th meridian west of the Greenwich Observatory. During daylight saving time, its time offset is UTC-7.In the United States...
coasts of the US), and are generally called "West" versions (the main channels are generally called "East" versions). For conventional broadcast networks, a timeshift channel is a network affiliate from a market in another time zone
Time zone
A time zone is a region on Earth that has a uniform standard time for legal, commercial, and social purposes. In order for the same clock time to always correspond to the same portion of the day as the Earth rotates , different places on the Earth need to have different clock times...
; for cable-only outlets, a timeshift channel is simply the original television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
ming feed retransmitted at a later time, as in the case with timeshift channels in other countries.
The major US terrestrial television network
Television network
A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small...
s broadcast without delay in the Eastern
Eastern Standard Time
Eastern Standard Time may refer to:*North American Eastern Time Zone, UTC-5*Australian Eastern Standard Time, UTC+10*An album by Hip Hop group Kooley High...
and Central timezones (UTC-5 and UTC-6, respectively), but delay programmes by one and three hours respectively for the Mountain (UTC-7) and Pacific (UTC-8) time zones. The start of US evening prime time
Prime time
Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast programming during the middle of the evening for television programing.The term prime time is often defined in terms of a fixed time period—for example, from 19:00 to 22:00 or 20:00 to 23:00 Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast...
programmes are typically announced in the form of "8, 7 Central", often written as "8/7c".
Most cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
channels do not timeshift, with a few notable exceptions. The most notable network to carry a separate full time-shifted feed is Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
, which is targeted to minors and as such broadcast programming schedules its programming around a typical school day and sleep schedule. Two separate Nickelodeon feeds exist, with the second being delayed three hours from the first (most digital cable and satellite outlets carry both, with the East Coast feed labeled "Nick 1" and the West Coast feed "Nick 2"). As an alternative, many cable channels, including the cable news
United States cable news
Cable news refers to television channels devoted to television news broadcasts, with the name deriving from the proliferation of such networks during the 1980s with the advent of cable television. In the United States, early networks included CNN in 1980, Financial News Network in 1981, and CNN2 ...
outlets such as Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
, CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
and HLN timeshift most of their prime time programs on their main channel in the late night
Late night television
Late night television in the United States is the block of television programming airing after 11:00 pm and usually through 2:00 am. Traditionally, this type of programming airs after the late local news and is most notable for being the daypart used for a particular genre of programming that falls...
time slots, so that they will air in prime time in both the Eastern and Pacific time zones.
Premium channels such as HBO, Showtime and Starz commonly air three-hour delayed feeds of the main channel and their multiplex
Multiplex (TV)
A multiplex or mux is a group of TV channels that are mixed together for broadcast over a digital TV channel and separated out again by the receiver...
channels, though typically digital cable providers only simultaneously carry the East and West coast feeds of the main channel while the multiplex channels are a singular feed (the "East" feed for the Central and Eastern time zones, and the "West" feed for the Pacific and Mountain zones); this allows subscribers to watch a movie, series or special three hours behind or ahead of its original airing in their area (in the case of The Movie Channel
The Movie Channel
The Movie Channel is an American premium channel owned by Showtime Networks, Inc., a subsidiary of CBS Corporation, which shows mostly movies, as well as special behind-the-scenes features, softcore adult erotica and movie trivia....
, many cable systems only carry the respective coastal feed of the main channel and its multiplex channel The Movie Channel Xtra, rather than airing the East and West feeds of the primary channel or both channels).
Sporting events are often broadcast live in all time zones, resulting in announcements such as "4 Eastern, 1 Pacific", generally shown as "4 ET/1 PT". In the event of a sporting event leading into the East Coast prime time, the following programs are often said to be "coming up next, except on the West Coast," as additional programming is shifted around to fill the time between the end of the event and the start of West Coast prime times. Many times, this is the programming which was preempted by the effectively earlier time slot in the western zones.
Canada
In Canada, English-language programming is transmitted without delay in the Atlantic time zone (UTC-4) and delayed in most of the rest of the nation. This results in the effective existence of, for example, +1, +2, +3, and +4 channels of the broadcast networks for satellite television viewers in the Atlantic time zone and -4, -3, -2, and -1 channels for Pacific viewers. French programming is transmitted without delay in MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
's Eastern
Eastern Standard Time
Eastern Standard Time may refer to:*North American Eastern Time Zone, UTC-5*Australian Eastern Standard Time, UTC+10*An album by Hip Hop group Kooley High...
zone and delayed only in Western Canada.
Latin America
In Latin America, Spanish-language cable programming is transmitted without delay in Argentina and Uruguay, and delayed in most countries. Portuguese-language programming is transmitted without delay in Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
and São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
's official time
UTC-3
UTC−03:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of −03:00.-As standard time :*Suriname*Falkland Islands*French Guiana*Brazil - East Northern and Northeastern States...
and not delayed in the rest of the nation, except for the major terrestrial broadcast networks, three HBO channels and two Cinemax
Cinemax
Cinemax, sometimes abbreviated as simply "Max", is a collection of premium television networks that broadcasts primarily feature films, along with softcore erotica, original action series, documentaries and special behind-the-scenes features. Cinemax is operated by Home Box Office, Inc., a...
channels.
XEW-TV
XEW-TV
XEW-TV is the call sign assigned to channel 2, a television station in Mexico City, Mexico. The station is owned by Televisa and is the flagship station to the Canal de las Estrellas network. XEW is second oldest Televisa and Mexico City's station, founded in 1951.-References:...
(La Canal de las Estrellas) in Mexico has two timeshift feeds: Canal de las Estrellas +1 and Canal de las Estrellas +2, delayed one and two hours respectively from the main Mexico City feed. These timeshift feeds are broadcast over-the-air in the Mountain and Pacific time zones, and are available on cable in various parts of the country.