BBC And BSkyB Name Free-To-Air DTT Service

The BBC and BSkyB’s new free-to-air digital terrestrial TV service will be called Freeview and will launch in the autumn.

The new platform will be sold as a “fresh start” for digital terrestrial viewers and will feature an extra three channels on top of the 28 already confirmed. Set top boxes will retail at £99 and will deliver interactivity and digital radio in addition to free-to-view TV services.

The BBC’s director of marketing and communications, Andy Duncan, said: “Freeview will be a fresh start for many consumers. As well as former ITV Digital customers, people who make the one-off equipment cost will be able to enjoy this simple, compelling proposition.”

The BBC/BSkyB consortium was awarded the digital terrestrial licences last month (see Free To Air Application Wins DTT Battle), after staving-off competition from five other bidders including an ITV/Channel 4 consortium (see

He added: “From favourite genres like history, with the new UK History channel, news from BBC News 24, Sky News and Sky Sports News, and children’s programmes on CBeebies, Freeview offers something new for viewers who aren’t attracted by pay television services but would like more quality TV channels.”

The consortium is currently working to improve the quality and reliability of the digital terrestrial signal to improve the number of homes able to receive the new service through their existing aerial. ITV Digital, which collapsed earlier this year (see ITV Digital Will Be Sold As ‘Going Concern’), was dogged by the poor quality of its digital terrestrial signal.

BBC: 020 8743 8000 www.bbc.co.uk BSkyB: 020 7705 3000 www.sky.com

Recent TV Stories from NewsLine ITV Breaches Broadcasting Act With World Cup Coverage Media Industry Not Up To Speed On iTV, Says Report Football League Could Sign Highlights Deal With ITV

Subscribers can access ten years of NewsLine articles by clicking the Search button to the left