ITC Chief Warns Against Digital Confusion

Peter Rogers, chief executive of the Independent Television Commission (ITC), this weekend warned pay-TV operators against confusing the public with digital TV advertising campaigns which criticise rivals’ services. Speaking at the Edinburgh International Television Festival, he voiced concerns that such attacks between the three main DTV players, Sky Digital, On Digital and Cable & Wireless Communications, could cause viewers to turn off to digital altogether.

The ITC is keen to prevent the digital broadcasters from confusing British consumers over the capabilities and services offered by the different set-top box technologies (see BSkyB Issues Writs Over BDB Set-Top Boxes). However, it is understood that the government has told the ITC that it cannot immediately enforce inter-operability on broadcasters. It is likely that the Commission will propose a time frame for convergence of the different technologies in order to allow the launch of DTV to proceed without too much disruption.

Rogers also proposed that digital providers offer channels ŕ la carte, so that consumers can bundle together a package of channels which exactly suits them. Sky Digital unveiled its set of channel packages, which starts at a basic £6.99 per month, last week (see Sky Rolls Out Digital Offerings); On Digital is keeping the pricing and structure of its offerings under wraps until the end of this month.

Separately, the ITC itself came under criticism at the Television Festival when independent programme producer, Peter Bazalgette, called for a curtailment of the watchdog’s powers. Bazalgette, who produces Ready, Steady, Cook and Changing Rooms, said that the UK television industry was suffering from an illusion that it was the best in the world despite, he said, a poor export record. His attack was also directed at the Broadcasting Standards Commission (BSC), which he said should be scrapped, and BBC Worldwide which he recommended for privatisation.