euro news_news 26/02/2014 18:18 Page 5
DTT delivers £80bn
to UK economy
report commissioned by
Digital UK - the company
that manages strategy and
policy for digital terrestrial
television (DTT) in the UK - reveals
the major economic benefits that
Freeview and
other
terrestrial TV
services deliver to
the UK.
The report The value of
Digital Terrestrial
Television in an
era of increasing
demand for
spectrum - shows
that the country’s
most widely used
platform returns
nearly £80 billion
(€96bn) to the
economy and
challenges the
view that mobile
broadband delivers
more value from
airwaves than
television.
The findings
come at the start of a year when crucial
decisions about the future of free-to-air
TV will be made by policy makers in the
UK and EU. Just over a year after digital
switchover freed up capacity for 4G
mobile broadband, a further shake-up of
the airwaves is being considered to
release more spectrum for the mobile
market.
The report – carried out by media and
telecoms consultancy Communications
Chambers - sets out for the first time the
economic and social importance of DTT
which delivers broadcast channels for
both Freeview and YouView – and is
watched in three-quarters of UK homes.
Key findings include:
A
l Evidence of DTT’s vital role in
supporting UK broadcasting, driving
innovation and investment in
programme-making while keeping
consumer costs down
l DTT provides nearly £80 billion to
the UK – significantly more than
previously estimated – and supports
15,000 jobs in broadcasting and
independent production
l New economic analysis showing
that DTT delivers more value per unit
of spectrum than mobile broadband
l As the largest free-to-air TV service,
DTT creates
healthy
competition
between platforms
and ensures
viewers can access
public service
channels without
subscription
Other key points:
l Mobile already
has a far greater
allocation of
spectrum than
DTT, occupying
560 MHz vs 256
MHz
l Video is a key
driver of mobile
data growth,
which has a much
lower value per
MB or MHz than
web or email
l The increasing
availability of free WiFi means
mobile networks only carry 18% of
mobile device traffic
l Voice creates most of mobile’s
value yet uses little network capacity
– Ericsson estimate 5% in Western
Europe
Digital UK and its members (BBC,
ITV, Channel 4 and Arqiva) are urging
government to ensure any further
transfers of airwaves do not weaken
Freeview and other terrestrial TV
services, and that viewers should not
suffer disruption or foot the bill for
making the changes.
According to Jonathan Thompson,
chief executive of Digital UK, the report
sheds new light on the value of DTT for
viewers, the UK television sector and
wider economy. “With increasing
demand for spectrum it is critical that
DTT remains a strong proposition with
the same coverage and range of
channels viewers enjoy today,” he
asserted.
Ericsson
acquires Azuki
Systems
n a move designed to extend its TV
Everywhere capabilities, television
and media management specialist
Ericsson is to acquire Massachusettsbased Azuki Systems, which provides
delivery platforms for service providers,
content owners and broadcasters.
According to Ericsson, Azuki Systems
extends Ericsson’s leading TV and media
portfolio which includes the recent addition of
Mediaroom from Microsoft. Through the
acquisition, Ericsson will accelerate the
availability of new and compelling viewing
experiences across a variety of devices and
screens. In addition, Ericsson will gain
additional key functionality related to the
deployment of TV Anywhere services,
including adaptive bit rate and content
protection technologies. In addition, the
acquisition brings
a team of highly
skilled software
engineers from
Azuki Systems.
Per Borgklint,
SVP and head of
busine