Press Release - Digital UK chief considers on TheDigiboxShop.com

Digital UK chief considers switchover inevitable

From Colin Mann in London

Ford chief executive of Digital UK, the body responsible for co-ordinating
the switch from analogue to digital broadcasting, has said that switching off the analogue signal is inevitable. He suggested that it didnt make sense to run analogue and digital side-by-side. The UK economy, the broadcasting industry and the consumer will all benefit from the switchover, he told a meeting of broadcasting press correspondents.

Ennals comments came as UK communications regulator Ofcom published indicative cost and power consumption implications for individual households of adapting or upgrading their analogue television equipment to digital in preparation for digital switchover.

According to Ofcom, at present, 63 per cent of UK households watch digital television, with an additional 200,000 households moving to digital each month. It is estimated that around 10 per cent of UK households will be reluctant to move to digital voluntarily or may find it difficult to do so for a range of reasons.

Ofcoms research sets out the associated cost and power consumption requirements for those who would not have switched. By 2008, average purchase price per television set-top box to view Freeview digital terrestrial television (DTT) will be around Ł26 (€39), according to Ofcom. Preparing the last 10 per cent of households for all-digital television broadcasting between 2008-12 will cost Ł572 million, equivalent to 2 per cent of UK consumer spending on all home entertainment equipment over the same period, the report suggests.

Ennals said that he prefers to describe those who have not yet switched to digital, or are likely to form the last 10 per cent as non-adopters rather than refeseniks. He remains confident that the 90 per cent figure will be reached very quickly, certainly within five years, noting that twice as many people have signed up to digital than originally anticipated.