Switchover may cause HD divide
- Published: 17 October 2007 17:12
- Author: Liz Thomas
- More by this Author
- Last Updated: 19 October 2007 10:36
Michael Grade has warned that digital switchover could split television viewers into "haves and have-nots".
The ITV executive chairman believes the situation will occur if Freeview audiences are denied access to HD.
Industry regulator Ofcom is proposing to auction off part of the existing analogue frequency spectrum, but this has been met with dismay from terrestrial broadcasters.
Grade in particular has been vocal in his criticism and has called on the government to ensure there is access for all. Writing in Notes from the Digital Sofa, a collection of essays commissioned by Freeview to mark digital switchover, he said the country was facing an HDTV divide unless public service broadcasters were allocated spectrum to create high-definition channels.
"Switchover is supposed to open the world of digital television to everyone," he said. "For this to happen, Freeview will need sufficient spectrum to carry HD services. But there's a danger that viewers of Freeview will be denied access to HD. The transfer from analogue to digital would effectively be bungled, creating a nation of haves and have-nots."
Delivering the Ofcom annual lecture this week, chief executive Ed Richards said he had not been persuaded that gifting spectrum to broadcasters was the best way to release value from it. He said compression technology could double capacity on the Freeview multiplex, paving the way for HD channels from late 2009.
The regulator is to publish consultation on the options for HD broadcasting on Freeview next month.
www.freeview.co.uk/think for further essays
