Ofcom Approves BBC HD Plans
Ofcom has said that the BBC’s plan to launch a new HD TV channel is likely to deliver consumer benefit through increased take-up of HD.
The regulator’s market impact assessment found that this benefit is likely to be spread across all the major TV platforms including DTT, satellite and cable.
However, Ofcom did say that there may be a negative impact on internet protocol TV (IPTV) platform operators if there is significant consumer demand for HD services, as the current broadband infrastructure does not allow HD services to be delivered via broadband to a significant number of consumers.
For DTT, the BBC has proposed two options: the full nine-hour schedule, if sufficient spectrum capacity is available after digital switchover; or a four-hour overnight service between 2am and 6am if insufficient spectrum capacity is available for peak hours transmission.
Under either option, the four-hour overnight service would begin ahead of digital switchover.
Ofcom also made three main recommendations to the BBC Trust:
1. It is important that the BBC is held to the agreed service description, including the genre mix of the channel – a mixed genre BBC HD service is less likely to result in a significant impact on the amount of viewing to commercial services, than is a service focused on particular genres such as movies.
2. Delivery of BBC HD content on the internet. Ofcom recognises that it may not be possible to deliver the streamed HD channel on IPTV in the near future, but Ofcom recommends that the BBC should work to the objective of delivering the channel on IPTV as soon as it is technically feasible to do so. Also, the Trust should take into account the costs associated with the delivery of HD on-demand content.
3. The Trust should work to ensure that the BBC HD launch takes full account of wider technological developments in DTT – including the development of consumer equipment compatible with the anticipated DVB-T2 transmission technology.
In a public value test published yesterday, Christopher Woolard, head of finance, economics, and strategy for the BBC Trust, said: “The PVA concludes that the proposed service would significantly promote the BBC’s public purpose of ‘helping to deliver to the public the benefit of emerging communications and services’. However, the PVA highlights some issues about the relative public value of a more limited service on DTT compared to other platforms.
“The Trust will consider these findings along with those in Ofcom’s MIA document before reaching its provisional conclusions, which we expect to publish on Tuesday September 25.”
Ofcom: 020 7981 3040 www.ofcom.org.uk BBC: 020 8743 8000 www.bbc.co.uk