Just been informed vai the MythTV NZ mailing list that Sky has started fighting back against Freeview by loading on Freeview only channels to the mix.

Only Stratos and Parliament TV have been loaded on channels 89 and 94. EPG coming soon.

Technically there is nothing stopping Sky from doing it. However it’s just ethically bad. Here are two channels that are free-to-air and yet Sky have them available to pay for (Sky’s Free-to-Air package is $15 a month). Then you have to think about whether Triangle TV had to pay to get Stratos on Freeview (I’m not sure about its status). It apparently costs a lot to get onto Freeview, but hey, Sky will happily take money and not pass it on.

Update: Read the comments for a message from the Triangle TV CEO who basically says “all involved knew ahead of time and before Sky made access available to its viewers and are quite happy about it.” Good to know.