How to start your own TV channel (on Sky)?

How to start your own TV channel (on Sky)?

Author
Discussion

Schermerhorn

Original Poster:

4,342 posts

188 months

Saturday 2nd May 2015
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Afternoon all

I have a great idea that I think would work well and have talked to several parties who are interested.

However, I don't have the foggiest clue how to go about this. I've been Googling and researching but many posts are too old and don't apply anymore due to OFCOM's ever changing regulations or the information completely contradicts itself.

Does anyone know how does one go about this?

LDN

8,905 posts

202 months

Monday 4th May 2015
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I'd be interested in knowing also...

Schermerhorn

Original Poster:

4,342 posts

188 months

Tuesday 5th May 2015
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Ouch

Just found out the start up costs.

I'd have to sell off the house just to get going.

I'm oooooot!

Fas1975

1,777 posts

163 months

Tuesday 5th May 2015
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If it truly is viable, have you looked at crowdfunding?

FurtiveFreddy

8,577 posts

236 months

Tuesday 5th May 2015
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Why don't you look at a properly promoted You Tube channel?

All the broadcasters are doing it...

Schermerhorn

Original Poster:

4,342 posts

188 months

Tuesday 5th May 2015
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FurtiveFreddy said:
Why don't you look at a properly promoted You Tube channel?

All the broadcasters are doing it...
TV advertising revenue is higher than Youtube.

Tv is a 'home' thing and can attract a big audience.

Laptop/phone/PC is a 'in your own time' sort of thing.

All in my humble opinion.

Besides, I dont have 6 figures to throw into something that could bankrupt me.


TheInternet

4,703 posts

162 months

Tuesday 5th May 2015
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What is the breakdown of start up costs? There are a number of channels on air with almost certainly less funding available than you're suggesting.

Have you looked at other platforms? Freesat/BT/Virgin would maybe be cheapest to get on to. There is also the possibility of running it as an IP service available through the above providers (if they support it).

FurtiveFreddy

8,577 posts

236 months

Tuesday 5th May 2015
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Schermerhorn said:
TV advertising revenue is higher than Youtube.

Tv is a 'home' thing and can attract a big audience.

Laptop/phone/PC is a 'in your own time' sort of thing.

All in my humble opinion.
Depends on your potential audience. The TV is now considered the '2nd screen' for some demographics.

There's no cheap way to get in front of a large audience, as you've found.

jammy_basturd

29,776 posts

211 months

Wednesday 6th May 2015
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Schermerhorn said:
TV advertising revenue is higher than Youtube.

Tv is a 'home' thing and can attract a big audience.

Laptop/phone/PC is a 'in your own time' sort of thing.

All in my humble opinion.

Besides, I dont have 6 figures to throw into something that could bankrupt me.
There are some YT videos and channels with more subscribers and views that any episode of Top Gear (which I believe is the BBC's most viewed TV show).

Sure, the advertising revenue is lower, but then the startup costs are minuscule in comparison.

Foliage

3,861 posts

121 months

Wednesday 6th May 2015
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By starting a channel your proposing that you are not generating content just selling advertising space and buying/renting programs to schedule? did you really think it would be that easy, also contrary to what you think TV is a completely outdated medium and terrestrial tv has maybe only 10 (if that) years left (certainly no more than 19 years).

I have no experience in this area but this thread gave me a chuckle.

Youtube is where its at, twitch is also a serious contender now.

Scheduled TV lol, sorry still chuckling about his. I haven't watch terrestrial TV in years must be 3 years+ now, I much prefer watching what I want when I want, with fewer or no adverts.

Edited by Foliage on Wednesday 6th May 16:30


Edited by Foliage on Wednesday 6th May 16:32

Schermerhorn

Original Poster:

4,342 posts

188 months

Wednesday 6th May 2015
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Foliage said:
By starting a channel your proposing that you are not generating content just selling advertising space and buying/renting programs to schedule? did you really think it would be that easy, also contrary to what you think TV is a completely outdated medium and terrestrial tv has maybe only 10 (if that) years left (certainly no more than 19 years).

I have no experience in this area but this thread gave me a chuckle.

Youtube is where its at, twitch is also a serious contender now.

Scheduled TV lol, sorry still chuckling about his. I haven't watch terrestrial TV in years must be 3 years+ now, I much prefer watching what I want when I want, with fewer or no adverts.

Edited by Foliage on Wednesday 6th May 16:30


Edited by Foliage on Wednesday 6th May 16:32
Chuckle all you want. I myself do not watch TV apart from sport now and then.

However, it earns more money than Youtube, hence my initial interest.

Nobody said it would be easy, least of all me. However I also didnt expect a 6 figure statrt up cost either.

Foliage

3,861 posts

121 months

Thursday 7th May 2015
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Schermerhorn said:
However, it earns more money than Youtube, hence my initial interest.
I'm not so sure since the highest earners on youtube aren't allowed to disclose their earnings to the public.

Tuna

19,930 posts

283 months

Thursday 7th May 2015
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Foliage said:
I'm not so sure since the highest earners on youtube aren't allowed to disclose their earnings to the public.
The last figure I managed to get was that 2 million viewers of a YT video equated to significantly under £5K revenue. To get 2 million viewers you have to be doing pretty well on YT as the barrier to entry is almost nill and the amount of content being generated is vast.

If you can produce a 'broadcast quality' video for enough under 5K to make it worthwhile, well done. The ones who get famous for making money tend to be vloggers who have zero costs and have been on the scene for at least two years. By that point, 2 years * 4 videos a week * 5K -> £2 million quid. But you have to have been working the scene for that long to build enough of an audience that your back catalogue has some value.

jammy_basturd

29,776 posts

211 months

Thursday 7th May 2015
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Is it against YT rules to cut your own adverts into your videos?

uber

855 posts

169 months

Friday 8th May 2015
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Most professional You Tubers are part of larger networks which have custom deals with YT outside the standard partner system.

A large chunk of these YT users revenue comes from product placement, suggestion or affiliate commission. Someone making daily videos with 1 mill+ subscribers can easily ask for 5k worth of compensation for 1 video

Landlord

12,689 posts

256 months

Monday 11th May 2015
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Schermerhorn said:
However, it earns more money than Youtube, hence my initial interest.
Is that a definite - as in, don't advertisers on TV pick when and where their adverts are shown? Are you sure you'll get enough interest in advertising on your channel? Why are you concerned about earning as much revenue as quickly as possible? Surely if the cost of entry of TV means you're going to bin the idea, wouldn't it be worth trying to prove the idea on YT as it's far cheaper and therefore less likely to make you say "sod this for a game of soldiers". A little revenue is surely better than none.

I have zero knowledge about the area, btw. I'm genuinely asking out of curiosity/thinking out loud.

Schermerhorn

Original Poster:

4,342 posts

188 months

Monday 11th May 2015
quotequote all
Landlord said:
Schermerhorn said:
However, it earns more money than Youtube, hence my initial interest.
Is that a definite - as in, don't advertisers on TV pick when and where their adverts are shown? Are you sure you'll get enough interest in advertising on your channel? Why are you concerned about earning as much revenue as quickly as possible? Surely if the cost of entry of TV means you're going to bin the idea, wouldn't it be worth trying to prove the idea on YT as it's far cheaper and therefore less likely to make you say "sod this for a game of soldiers". A little revenue is surely better than none.

I have zero knowledge about the area, btw. I'm genuinely asking out of curiosity/thinking out loud.
I was looking at it as an investment horizon and a return on investment point of view. £250,000 could have been recouped within 18 months after expenses. On Youtube, I'm not sure that would ever have been reached.

Put simply - how many TV channels are there out there vs Youtube channels?

daemon

35,724 posts

196 months

Monday 11th May 2015
quotequote all
Schermerhorn said:
FurtiveFreddy said:
Why don't you look at a properly promoted You Tube channel?

All the broadcasters are doing it...
TV advertising revenue is higher than Youtube.

Tv is a 'home' thing and can attract a big audience.

Laptop/phone/PC is a 'in your own time' sort of thing.

All in my humble opinion.

Besides, I dont have 6 figures to throw into something that could bankrupt me.
So you've had the worlds best idea for a new startup and have found The Goose That Lays The Golden Egg, and you're letting a silly thing like funding stop you?

Or was it a dumb idea in the first place?

daemon

35,724 posts

196 months

Monday 11th May 2015
quotequote all
Schermerhorn said:
I was looking at it as an investment horizon and a return on investment point of view. £250,000 could have been recouped within 18 months after expenses. On Youtube, I'm not sure that would ever have been reached.

Put simply - how many TV channels are there out there vs Youtube channels?
How would you EVER from a standing start, getting a TV channel up and running and enough people watching it to make it financially viable?

Surely adapting your idea - and perhaps your expectations - towards where the market is going, rather than where it has been is the answer, rather than just writing it off?

FurtiveFreddy

8,577 posts

236 months

Tuesday 12th May 2015
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I think the issue here is/was the assumption that as long as you are on TV, a lot of people will be watching and that simply isn't the case these days.

Satellite channels are great at quoting their 'potential audience figures' but the actual viewing figures of a channel like Motors TV will surprise a lot of people and is often just a few thousand viewers at a time, which won't sell you much product in the ad breaks.

To hook a large viewing audience, you will need to spend a lot of money on the content (as in the shows) and then spend a lot more money promoting them so viewers know they're there and worth watching. Even then, you might have a flop on your hands.