Broadcasters unite for HD campaign

The BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Sony have joined forces to launch an HD for All campaign, which is aimed at securing high definition television programming on Freeview.

The BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Sony have joined forces to launch an HD for All campaign, which is aimed at securing high definition television programming on Freeview.

The launch follows Ofcom's plans, announced last year, for an open auction of the publicly-owned spectrum that will be released as a result of the digital switchover.

A coalition of TV manufacturers, retailers and public service broadcasters are concerned that Ofcom's plans to auction all the spectrum could jeopardise HD channel launches on Freeview.

The campaign will consist of lobbying and public relations through media outlets and the website www.hdforall.org.uk.

'We will encourage the public to write to their local MPs and will be releasing further research in due course to further counter Ofcom,' said a spokesman for the campaign.

The coalition consists of, and is funded by, the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Five, DSGI, Samsung, Sony and Toshiba. However, the cost of the campaign is not known.

Although Ofcom has suggested the broadcasters could launch HD services using their existing spectrum capacity, it is suggested that this would not be technically feasible without sacrificing numerous existing services on the Freeview platform.

Ofcom's consultation on its proposals comes to an end on 20 March.