UK Is The Global Leader In DiTV

The UK is the global leader in digital interactive television (DiTV), according to a report on the medium published today by the IPA.

The report written by Howard Unna, former head of e-commerce at Woolworths, says that the UK is ahead of the rest of the world, including the US, in terms of the uptake and sophistication of DiTV.

However, Unna calls on TV companies, advertisers and the marketing and communications industry to work together to find out more about the medium in order to exploit DiTV technology in parallel with the Government’s wind down of existing analogue services.

Commenting on the report, BSkyB’s marketing director, Charles Ponsonby, said: “I believe that the creative community will meet the challenge and interactive TV will become the norm, not the exception, thereby enriching the enjoyment and usefulness of the TV experience for everyone. Its future is in the hands, not only of the TV companies, but content partners of all types and the creative community represented by the IPA.”

The uptake of digital TV in the UK suffered a setback recently when the Government admitted that the deadline for the digital switchover could be delayed until at least 2010 due to the lack of consumer interest in the medium (see Delay For The Digital Deadline). However, the recent launch of a new low cost digital receiver, which allows viewers to receive free-to-air channels without subscribing to pay-per-view platforms, is expected to make the digital TV more accessible to UK consumers (see Pace To Speed Digital Take-Up).

IPA: 020 7235 7020 www.ipa.co.uk

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