Advanced Television

Tivuitalia receives green light for 44 new DTT transmitters

July 20, 2011

From Branislav Pekic in Rome

Italian media company Tivuitalia has received approval from the country’s Ministry of Economic Development for the activation of 44 new DTT transmitters.

The new transmitters, representing a 30 per cent increase compared to the sites currently operated by Tivuitalia, are located in the regions of Northern Italy and Sardinia where the analogue switch-off has already taken place. The company expects in the coming weeks the assignment of as many transmitters in the remaining regions of Central and Southern Italy that have already converted to digital terrestrial.

Tivuitalia has also announced it is preparing an appeal against the decision of the Ministry of Economic Development that “has unlawfully denied it the status of a network operator”, on a national level, before the Regional Administrative Court, the Antitrust Authority, as well as on EU level.

Last month, the Ministry authorised Tivuitalia to broadcast TV content in DTT mode, but denied it the status of a national network operator. The company submitted a request for a DTT multiplex operator in February 2010 and subsequently, on 21 May 2010, announced its DTT coverage exceeded 50 per cent of the population.
Tivuitalia claims the Ministry’s decision is both “ambiguous and inconsistent”: although it has been denied the status of national DTT operator, at the same time it has been authorised to air TV content with coverage in 18 regions and about 70 per cent of the Italian population. These figures, according to Tivuitalia, are well above the maximum parameters that characterise the local DTT operators (maximum 10 regions and 49 per cent of the population).

Categories: Articles, Broadcast, DTT/DSO