Read on for the original blog, written for the Tumbler account of @babe_tv back in 25th January 2014, all about XXXpanded’s departure from Freeview, (until it’s later re-branding into Xpanded).
The night of 22nd to 23rd January 2014 brought the last broadcast in the initial run of Freeview shows from xxXpanded TV. The run lasted precisely one year, having begun at 1am on 24th January 2013, with a call rate of just 26p per minute for the basic service. xxXpanded has occupied Channel 180 throughout its time on the Freeview platform. As well as the live xxXpanded night show, Channel 180 carried static offscreen babe promos under the brand of FlirtXchange.
The company issued a statement on 22nd January, stressing that whilst the original capacity deal had reached its expiry, xxXpanded is interested in continuing with its Freeview transmissions and is discussing acquiring new capacity with a view to returning in future. But in the immediate term, as of 24th January 2014, Babestation remains the only babe channel group broadcasting live on terrestrial television, with Babestation (1), Babestation Xtra, Babestation Blue and the daytime show Bikini Babes, spread across channels 172, 173, 174 and 175. xxXpanded is still showing on the Freeview EPG as I write on 25th January 2014.
The image for this post shows Honey Scott on the last xxXpanded Freeview show of the run – 23rd January 2014. Former police and army operative Honey has been one of the mainstays of xxXpanded’s Freeview output. She was of course a Babestation girl quite briefly, from April to July 2011, and before that she became well known on the Freeview babeshows through her work on TVX’s call channels Cream Live and Honey TV, starting in late 2010. But perhaps most importantly, Honey has recently been credited with changing Hazel Bond’s Twitter name from “Hazel Bondy Bond” to “Hazel Badass Bond”. You can’t say this blog doesn’t give you the most vital trivia!
Featuring alongside Honey on the final show were babeshow newcomer Alicia, and Tindra Frost. Tindra was new to xxXpanded on 16th January ‘14, and has, wisely, been screened very intensively from the off. She was formerly on Babestation Apprentice (from February 2012), Babestation and Babestation X under the name of Britney Rears – although she did make one BSX and BS1 appearance as Tindra Frost in November 2013.
Hopefully, xxXpanded will return to Freeview, as it provided a more user-friendly alternative to the Cellcast channels, and was almost certainly the catalyst for Babestation’s more drastic price reductions – especially with regard to their premium channels.
[UPDATE: xxXpanded returned to Freeview with its new branding of Xpanded TV, with a 3am start, on Channel 182, from 5th April 2014.]
