Spain agrees to reshape DTT market
August 24, 2012
From David Del Valle in Madrid
Spain’s Government and broadcasters have reached an agreement to mitigate the financial impact of the allocation of the digital dividend to be started in September and completed before 2014.
The agreement will end up in the reshape of the DTT market following the private broadcasters have accepted to give up one multiplex out of the six they are operating at the present time. The private TV operators- Tele 5, Antena 3, La Sexta, Cuatro, Net TV and Veo TV- will continue operating 24 nationwide DTT channels but using lesser bandwith what it is likely to have a negative impact on HD transmissions and other added-value services.
The Government’s proposal was to reduce by three the existing ten DTT multiplexes within the so-called digital dividend plan to be completed before January 2014.
With the agreement broadcasters have accepted a 20 per cent reduction of their present DTT capacity with four SD channels each multiplex and one HD channel.
Public TV networks, the state-owned group RTVE and Regional Channnels, will also have to drop one of their two multiplexes each one ending up in an overall DTT picture with seven DTT multiplexes for all TV operators,
With this DTT reduction plan, networks will have to broadcast their channels using less space and HD channels will be located in a specific frequency as broadcasters will not be able to simultaneously broadcast their channels on SD and HD as they are now doing, obliging thus viewers to acquire adapters to watch HD channels.