Advanced Television

Spain puts Mobile TV and Interactive TV on hold

May 17, 2010

From David Del Valle in Madrid

The Spanish Government has put DVB-H Mobile TV and Interactive TV on the back burner because, it says, “there isn’t sufficient demand and it lacks an adequate business model [for mobile TV].” For Interactive TV it says “it has very little or nil presence” in the market. The comments were made by General Director of Telecommunications at the Ministry of Industry, Bernardo Lorenzo.

As a consequence, the multiplex allocated to mobile TV will not be awarded unless it is proved there is enough demand for the service, non-existent at the present time. “We do not want to be part of the fiasco (of mobile TV) in Europe,” said Lorenzo.

On Interactive TV, Lorenzo pointed out that there is a long way to go for its introduction in the market as its presence is effectively non existant. This is in contrast to the view of the Pro Interactive TV Association, AEDETI, whose president Jose Luis Vazquez said that around 20 per cent of all TV sets will have a return channel by the end of the year.

This Association has urged the Government to approve a common standard in interactive TV and proposed to set up a Government-sponsored working group, formed by electronic manufacturers, broadcasters and network operators, to carry it out.

Lorenzo, though, is a fan of HDTV and announced that the Government is to approve a Royal Decree to regulate HD TV paving the way for its development. Lorenzo also revealed that the Administration will pay the bill for the broadcasters migration to new frequencies answering the demands of broadcasters which had refused to pay the costs

Categories: Articles, Broadcast, Mobile, Mobile TV