Timeshift channel

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.

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom most timeshift channels have a time delay of one hour, and are thus described as a +1 channel – for instance ITV2 has a timeshift channel known as ITV2+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 Channel 5+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.

Ireland

Ireland has access to many of the UK timeshift channels through satellite and cable services. Some are also available via spillover transmissions from Northern Ireland such as UTV's timeshift service UTV +1. RTÉ provide a parttime timeshift service for RTÉ One, RTÉ One +1 starts each night at 7pm after the close of RTÉjr. TV3 (the commercial broadcaster) and TG4 (the Irish Language broadcaster) are considering timeshift channels. TV3+1 and TG4+1 should appear after analogue switch off (ASO).

Australia

In Australia, 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.

New Zealand

In New Zealand, Sky Movies 2 was launched as a timeshift channel in July 2007. Freeview launched a timeshift channel for TV3 on March 30, 2009.

Poland

In Poland, 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.

The Americas

United States

Main article: Effects of time on North American broadcasting

In the United States, 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 programming feed retransmitted at a later time, as in the case with timeshift channels in other countries.

The major US terrestrial television networks 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.

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 Montreal's Eastern zone and delayed only in Western Canada. For Newfoundland, which has its own time zone a half-hour ahead of Atlantic time, programming airs at the same time as in the Atlantic, with special time announcements (thus, for instance, The National on CBC will be said to air at 10:00, 10:30 in Newfoundland).

While this is generally the case for Canadian content, broadcasts that are simulcast in the United States are more likely to follow the U.S. model of broadcasting so that stations can take advantage of simultaneous substitution, which allows broadcast stations to override U.S. broadcast stations' signals (including commercials) with their own.

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 Janeiro 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.

See also

• Time shifting
• Effects of time on North American broadcasting