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The BBC says that a failure to mandate spectrum for terrestrial high definition broadcasting could delay the introduction of terrestrial HDTV in the UK for as much as 18 years and could cost the country billions.
In a response to Ofcom’s public consultation on the Digital Dividend Review, it argues that Public Service Broadcasters should be allowed to develop free-to-air, universally available high definition channels and says that the findings of independent consultants that indicate that the loss to the UK in private and social value is likely to range from 4.1billion to 15.6billion pounds.
“There are compelling reasons to believe that HD will become a technology with widespread appeal,” it said in a statement. “To ensure its long-term future viability and to enable it to compete with other platforms, Freeview must be able to offer a critical mass of HD services. There is not enough capacity on the existing six multiplexes, after Switchover, to carry this critical mass without removing existing services or eroding their quality. Furthermore, there is no business model for free-to-air HD on DTT at this stage that could enable free-to-air broadcasters to sustain likely auction prices.”
The BBC advocates that a minimum of one third of the Digital Dividend due to be reaped when the analogue spectrum is sold off should be allocated to Public Service Broadcasters to enable them to launch a strong free-to-air offer (one DTT multiplex can provide three HD channels). The broadcaster also states that such a move would kick-start a migration to more efficient MPEG4 receivers which could, over time, be used by standard definition services and greatly improve spectrum efficiency on DTT.
Mark Thompson, the BBC’s Director General, said: “High Definition is already a consumer reality, and it’s one that really adds value for audiences. It’s a technological advance that we think can and should be available as far as possible to all viewers of digital television, whether they watch through cable, satellite or an aerial, and whether they choose pay or free-to-air services. If pure market mechanisms are applied to the whole Digital Dividend, our fear is that it will jeopardize the success of universal access to high quality public service broadcasting, free-to-air on all main platforms and also lead to an erosion of the digital terrestrial platform and its ability to compete.”