UK Digital TV Transition On Track

Speaking at last night’s RTS evening meeting on “Digital Switchover – Making It Happen”, Ford Ennals, chief executive of digital TV implementation body Digital UK, stated that the analogue switch-off timetable is going to schedule.

Following a recent Digital UK TV campaign, awareness of the imminent switchover has improved considerably, lifting from 60% national awareness in April 2006 to 71% in May. However this does still mean that over a quarter of the population do not know it is happening.

Although digital TV penetration is now above 70% in the UK, around 60% of actual TV sets are still operating from an analogue signal. It is estimated that between 70-80 million units are still in need of an upgrade, including 40% of all video recorders and 26% of all aerials, according to Digital UK. Ofcom estimates that the cost of upgrading a home will be £130.

At switchover, 98.5% of the country will have access to DTT signals, the same amount that currently has analogue signals. When questioned about the 1.5% who will not have access, or 365,000 homes, Ford Ennals claimed that it was the same 1.5% that currently didn’t receive a signal, and that a “handful” would need to be tackled and they would “seek to identify them”.

Funding for the transition is due to come from an increase in the TV licence fee, a final figure which will be agreed by the end of the year, according to Shaun Woodward MP, Minister for the Creative Industries. Ford Ennals stated that the figure needs to be finalised by this time, otherwise keeping to the programme could become a problem.

Royal Television Society: 020 7822 2810 www.rts.org.uk Digital UK: 0845 6505050 www.digitaluk.co.uk