UK Broadcasters Advocate Freeview Sunset Post-2034, Citing Cost Inefficiency
A taskforce backed by UK public service broadcasters, including the BBC, ITV, and Channel 4, recommends against extending Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) beyond 2034 due to its increasing cost inefficiency compared to internet protocol television (IPTV). They argue that transitioning to IPTV would offer a better and more affordable viewer experience, ensuring universal access and allowing broadcasters to invest more in content. The taskforce acknowledges concerns about broadband access but suggests addressing this as a wider societal issue.
Key Takeaways
- DTT distribution is an order of magnitude more expensive per viewer hour than IPTV, a disparity that is widening as DTT viewership declines.
- Maintaining DTT operations reduces funds available for broadcasters to invest in content, negatively impacting programming quantity and variety.
- The taskforce claims 95% of UK households now have broadband, exceeding TV penetration (93%), with 99% of connections offering speeds ≥10Mbps and 94% ≥30Mbps.
- Approximately 900,000 households with a TV but no broadband would need to acquire it if DTT ceased today, down from 1.9 million in 2020.
- IPTV platforms offer universal access, addressing current limitations where 2.8 million homes cannot access the full DTT channel lineup due to technical issues.
Why It Matters
This recommendation signals a strategic shift among UK public service broadcasters towards an all-IP future, driven by escalating DTT costs and declining linear viewing. It places pressure on policymakers to accelerate broadband infrastructure development and address digital inclusion to ensure universal access to public service content. The industry will closely watch government response and the development of transition plans, particularly how the ~900,000 homes currently reliant on DTT without broadband will be supported and integrated into an IPTV-centric ecosystem.
Additional Context
The push to discontinue Freeview beyond 2034 aligns with broader industry trends in the UK. Everyone TV, the company managing Freeview, recently launched 'Freely,' a new streaming platform intended as a successor, which combines terrestrial TV with on-demand and live streaming services (RXTV, April 2024). Initially, Freely will support both aerial and internet reception, with new TV models, including those from Hisense and Vestel, integrating the platform. The BBC's Tim Davie outlined plans in 2022 for the broadcaster to go online-only. However, an EY report highlighted that the UK's internet infrastructure may not be ready for an exclusively online TV ecosystem, projecting 5.5 million UK premises (18% of homes) will still lack high-speed broadband by 2040 (RXTV, March 2024). Despite the government's commitment to DTT until at least 2034, a managed transition to broadband delivery over several decades is considered likely if universal free access is to be maintained (StreamTV Insider, April 2024).
Read full article at seenit.co.uk
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