Freeview Channel Set To Go Up For Auction

A new Freeview channel is set to go up for auction, potentially kick-starting a bidding war among broadcasters.

Arqiva is inviting bidders to make an offer for the channel before October 22, which it expects to award in January next year.

Arqiva holds the licence for two of the six multiplexes that make up the UK’s digital terrestrial TV platform.

According to a recent Ofcom report, the total number of households with Freeview (DTT) reached 16.7 million in the second quarter of 2008 (see Digital TV Households In UK Up To 88%).

Guy Bisson, an analyst at Screen Digest, told the Guardian: “We have seen an exponential rise in the value of slots since Freeview launched.”

“It has quickly become the largest digital platform and it is obvious to see the benefits of being in it. I would think there would be a lot of people interested in this slot,” he added.

In 2005, Channel 4 paid around £10 million a year for its sixth slot on Freeview but analyst predicts that the big broadcasters, such as ITV and Channel 4, would be unable to justify bidding now.

There are currently 48 TV channels and 24 radio channels available on Freeview.

Freeview: 08708 80 99 80 www.freeview.co.uk