Key European Markets Find Switchover Date Hard
Some key European markets may find it hard to comply with the government imposed analogue switchover date, with a new report from Screen Digest finding that some countries target switch-off dates may be too ambitious to meet.
According to Screen Digest, Germany looks set to meet its switch-off date because just 5% of German households rely on analogue terrestrial only, with low-cost cable TV and free to air satellite dominating the German market.
Screen Digest reveals that the challenge is much greater in the UK, France, Italy and Spain, with the countries having later switchover dates reflecting this.
Italy currently has 14 million analogue-reliant homes, meaning it will have to convert 4.6 million homes a year in order to meet its target switchover date of 2008.
France has to convert 2.1 million home a year, while Spain is looking at a yearly figure of 1.6 million.
The UK has a far more achievable target of 803,000 homes a year to convert, with the impressive up-take of Freeview aiding the switchover process.
According to figures from Ofcom, the total number of UK households viewing digital television grew by more than 760,000 year on year to almost 16.5 million. In total there are now more than 6.3 million free-to-view digital households (Freeview homes plus free-to-view satellite homes), leaving 10.2 million subscription customers (see Ofcom Estimates Show 65.9% Of Britain With Digital TV).
Commenting on the findings, Guy Bisson, senior TV analyst and editor of the report said: “Analogue switch off is currently top of the media agenda in many European countries and a number of Europe’s most important television markets look set to fall woefully short of their targets.”
He continued: “Analogue switch-off dates therefore seem bound to slip. Several European markets will have to face that fact the significant investment in consumer equipment will be required over the next few years.”
Ofcom recently released figures detailing the expected cost to the UK consumer of the digital switchover, claiming that late adopters of digital technology will have to pay a collective sum of up to £572 million in order to prepare themselves for the impending digital switchover (see Consumer Costs Of Digital Switchover To Hit £572 Million).
The cost to the average household is estimated to be around £137 to ensure that they have all the correct equipment to meet the Government’s proposed switchover deadline between 2008 and 2012.
According to earlier research published by Ofcom, less than a third of UK consumers have heard of the term “digital switchover”, with out of more than 2,500 consumers surveyed, just 10% were aware of the digital switchover, but not able to describe what it meant, while 71% did not know that the television analogue signal is due to be switched off in 2012 (see UK Public Unaware Of Impending Digital Switchover).
Consumer lack of knowledge over the switchover was raised at the MediaTelINSIGHT Future of Digital TV Seminar, with Ray Snoddy, journalist and broadcaster saying: “There’s going to be a huge need for a marketing and educational campaign, the very campaign that the Government shows no interest in funding (see SwitchCo Launched Despite Fears Raised Over Switchover Date).