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TELEVISION

French TV is about to change: What you need to know

Are you ready for this evening’s Great Digital Terrestrial Television Takeover in France? No, aliens aren’t coming to steal your TV. It's just going to get a major upgrade.

Published: 4 April 2016 14:13 CEST
French TV is about to change: What you need to know
Photo: AFP

Tellies in France are making the transition to High Definition. For viewers, this is good news: it means a clearer picture and better sound.

So if you happen to be watching TV in France in the very early hours of Tuesday morning, don’t be alarmed when all 1,600 transmissions come to a halt for a few hours. 

But how does it work exactly? What will be different? What do you need to do to prepare?

Read on for all you need to know about the big switch. 

What’s going to happen?

During the night of April 4th, households with a TV will receive all 25 DTT (Digital terrestrial television) channels in HD, at no extra cost.

If you're trying to watch a show in the wee hours of the morning, you'll just see a black screen. Although everything should be back to normal early on Tuesday morning, some viewers will need to allow a scan to save the new location settings.

An announcement of the upcoming switch. Photo: AFP

What will change?

The 25 TNT channels will now be available to everyone for free in crisp high-definition.

Up until now, four channels have been broadcast in Standard Definition as well as HD (TF1, France 2, M6, Arte), six are shown only in HD (HD1, L’Equipe 21, 6ter, Numéro 23, RMC Découverte, Cherie 25) and the 15 remaining channels only in Standard Definition. As far as paying channels, Canal + Cinéma, Canal + Sport and Planete + will also be switching to HD. 

As an added bonus, LCI will become a free channel.

What do I need to do?

If you have TNT via a internet box or by cable then the switch will be automatic and there's no need to worry, but if you have the old TV aerial then you'll need to buy separate equipment.

For low-income families, assistance is available up to €25, as well as home help for the elderly and disabled. Assistance of up to €250 is available for help with reception, in case you are unable to receive channels after April 5th.

Why the switch?

Apart from better image quality, TNT HD compresses the television signal in order to free up space in 4G networks for cell phones. The state sold these frequencies to the phone companies in November of 2015 for €2.8 billion.

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TELEVISION

Norwegian reality show introduces sexual consent rule for contestants

The latest series of Paradise Hotel in Norway has introduced an on-screen consent requirement for contestants planning on having sexual contact following allegations of abuse on the Swedish version of the show.

Published: 21 September 2021 11:55 CEST
Norwegian reality show introduces sexual consent rule for contestants
The show has introduced on-screen consent requirements. Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash

Contestants in the latest series of Paradise Hotel, which aired on Monday night, will require contestants to demonstrate on-screen with a thumbs up to the camera that they consent to any sexual activity.

“We were told from day one that if we were to have sex, we had to consent with a thumbs up to the camera from both parties,” Stian Trulsen, a contestant on the hit reality series, told newspaper VG. 

Earlier this year, it was alleged that a male contestant abused two female participants on the Swedish edition of the show. Swedish prosecuting authorities are investigating the alleged abuse. 

Christian Meinseth, program manager for production company Nent which makes the show, said the new rules weren’t directly introduced because of what happened on the Swedish programme. 

“No, but we have, of course, worked with the series and looked at our practices around the format, so we ensure that Paradise Hotel is both a good watch and fun to be a participant in,” Meinseth told VG. 

“We are very concerned about the participants’ safety, and we have not had any challenges around the new rules,” Meinseth added. 

The program manager added that the production company wanted the show to reflect a more modern approach to sex. 

“At the same time, we are also careful to monitor language use and how the participants describe each other. Everyone should show respect for each other, and there will be more focus on the game itself. Viewers can look forward to an exciting and entertaining season,” he said. 

The 15th season of the show, which has been on Norwegian tv screens since 2009, will also include a “paradise talents” week where there is a focus on inner values as part of several on-screen and off-screen measures to try and promote more healthy sexual relationships.

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