Advanced Television

DTT/DSO

Thailand delays digital licences

Thailand’s planned auction of digital terrestrial TV licences is to be delayed in order to give more time to potential bidders to prepare their submissions. The auction was initially planned for September. Supinya Klangnarong of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), speaking on August 18th, said the planned bidding may be pushed back to […]

August 20, 2013By Chris Forrester

abertis telecom readies HbbTV launch

Spanish telecoms infrastructure specialist abertis telecom is preparing for the mass launch of its Hybrid DTT service in the second half of 2013. This is the certified connected TV service based on the HbbTV standard (Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV), which allows viewers to enjoy the interactive content offered by television channels through the Internet while […]

August 14, 2013

Mediaset gets fifth DTT multiplex

Italian commercial broadcaster Mediaset has taken the total DTT multiplexes it owns to five, the maximum allowed by law. This follows the authorisation from Italy’s Ministry of Economic Development to Mediaset to transform into DVB-T the frequency already in its possession and that was initially intended to be used for mobile TV (DVB-H). The decision […]

August 7, 2013From Branislav Pekic in Rome

Portuguese consumers blast DTT quality

The Portuguese Association for Consumer Protection (Deco) says it received 3,500 complaints on the lack of quality of the DTT signal since February. This figure represents an average of 583 complaints per month and the entity is urging users to complain in order to generate pressure for the restructuring of the existing DTT network. Out […]

August 2, 2013From Branislav Pekic in Rome

BT Sport goes live

August 1st at 18.00 BST marks the launch of BT Sport, the three-channel service from the telco that is taking the game to Sky in terms of premium sports coverage in the UK. On launch day, the service will be free for anyone with Freeview, TV from BT or Sky. The new BT Sport website, […]

August 1, 2013By Colin Mann

Spain’s shrinking DTT platform

Spanish DTT  is getting smaller following the closure of the sports TV channel Marca TV due to lack of funds to keep the channel on air. It is the first DTT channel to close down after the Supreme Court’s decision to invalid the awarding of a least 9 DTT channels. The company has argued that […]

August 1, 2013From David Del Valle in Madrid

Frequency clearance smooths 4G launch

The final UK airwaves needed for the launch of high-speed mobile broadband in the 800MHz band will be cleared this week, according to Digital UK, the body which led the implementation of digital TV switchover from 2008-2012 and during 2013 oversaw the clearance of terrestrial TV services from the spectrum band. In February 2012, Freeview […]

July 29, 2013

DTT boom extends beyond Europe

The number of homes receiving DTT signals will more than double between 2013 and 2018 – by reaching 553 million, according to a new report from Digital TV Research. The Digital Terrestrial TV Forecasts report, covering 97 countries, expects the number of primary DTT homes (those not subscribing to cable, IPTV or satellite TV and […]

July 24, 2013

HbbTV plan for Australia

Following the completion of the country’s digital switchover, Australian free-to-air television is planning its next technological evolution combining broadcasting and the Internet. Freeview Australia – the industry grouping comprising free-to-air licensees Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Special Broadcasting Service, Seven Network, Nine Network, Network Ten, Prime Media Group and Southern Cross Broadcasting – is working with the […]

July 22, 2013By Colin Mann

UK DTT set for HD boost

UK comms regulator Ofcom is to proceed with an award of the 600 MHz spectrum band (550 to 606 MHz) to digital terrestrial TV (DTT) transmission company Arqiva, on an interim basis. The new capacity could triple the number of High Definition (HD) channels currently available on DTT, creating the opportunity for TV viewers to […]

July 16, 2013By Colin Mann