Report shows economic value of Freeview

Freeview returns almost £80 billion to the economy, challenging the view that mobile broadband delivers more value from airwaves, according to a new report from Digital UK.

The findings come at the start of a year when “crucial decisions” about the future of free-to-air TV will be made by policy makers in the UK and EU – just a year after the digital switchover.

In the report, Digital UK notes the importance of digital terrestrial television (DTT) which delivers broadcast channels for both Freeview and YouView, with new economic analysis showing that DTT delivers more value per unit of spectrum than mobile broadband.

Consequently, Digital UK and its members – BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Arqiva – are “urging government to ensure any further transfers of airwaves do not weaken Freeview and other terrestrial services”, and that viewers should not “suffer disruption or foot the bill” for making the changes.

Jonathan Thompson, chief executive of Digital UK, added that with increasing demand for spectrum, it is “critical that DTT remains a strong proposition with the same coverage and a range of channels viewers enjoy today.”