More Publicity Needed Around Switchover To Help Consumers

Ofcom’s Consumer Panel has raised “urgent, practical issues” about how digital switchover is being publicised, saying that a better promotional campaign is needed to inform consumers about the help they can get to go digital.

The report says that Britain’s most vulnerable TV viewers are not getting the information they need to make a smooth switch to digital, and that some consumers are confused about what equipment they should buy and are not confident about installing digital TV themselves.

The research behind the Consumer Panel report was carried out by Opinion Leader Research, which tracked the experiences of 41 people as they converted to digital television.

It found that older, disabled and less technically-minded people needed information specifically targeted to them, and that in many cases, they were not aware that a telephone helpline was available to help them.

The Ofcom Consumer Panel is calling on Digital UK – the independent organisation leading the digital switchover campaign – to launch a national information campaign, better promotion of the telephone helpline and more information at retail outlets.

The small town of Whitehaven in Cumbria has already had its analogue TV signal switched off, with the rest of the UK following until the process is complete by 2012 (see Digital Switchover Begins Today).

Last month, Ford Ennals, the chief executive of Digital UK, announced he was stepping down just weeks after the process began, leading some to speculate that there were problems in the organisation (see Digital UK Chief Quits As Switchover Gets Underway).

At the end of September, Digital UK launched a £8 million national information campaign to promote switchover (see Digital UK Launches Switchover Information Campaign).

Ofcom: 020 7981 3040 www.ofcom.org.uk