Conventional television viewing should be consigned to history by the end of the decade as the UK authorities remain committed to the deadline for switching off the analogue signal.
In an interview in today’s
Financial Times, the culture secretary, Tessa Jowell said that the government was ‘likely’ to meet its target for the switch-off, which will occur between 2006 and 2010.
The pledge to usher British TV into the digital age was made by the Labour government during its first term and the administration has refused to waver despite doubts over the public’s enthusiasm for the technology.
Jowell did however admit that the conversion to digital will take place at “the back end of 2006-2010 rather than the front end”, an indication that progress has been slower than previously anticipated.
The financial woes and ultimate collapse of ITV Digital undoubtedly slowed the digital advance (see Jowell Laments Demise Of “Brave Commercial Enterprise”) but the BBC and BSkyB have picked up the baton with the introduction of Freeview. The free-to-air digital terrestrial service has built up a viewer base of 1.4 million in the six months since launch (see Freeview Customers Surpass ITV Digital’s Total) and Jowell acknowledges that the platform has “given a big lift” to digital television.
Nevertheless, according to the ITC, only 41% of UK homes had a digital television (DTV) system by the end of last year (see UK Digital TV Penetration Could Overtake Internet, Says ITC) and it will take a major push to reach the penetration levels required for analogue switch-off in 2010.
Forrester Research has criticised the notion of pre-stated targets, insisting that market forces should be allowed to dictate the switchover date (see Governments Should Bow To Consumer Demand On DTT, Says Report). However, the government has been encouraged by the performance of Freeview and the pronouncements of the ITC and Datamonitor, which suggests that digital TV will be in 72% of households by the end of 2007 (see UK Digital TV To Reach 72% Of UK Homes By 2007, Says Datamonitor). The overall message seems to be: ‘Watch this space’.
