Washington, D.C.
(April 27, 2007) -- Think you're paying too much for
High-Definition service? Well, move to the United Kingdom.
The BBC and ITV have announced they will launch a free High-Definition satellite service next spring. Called Freesat, the dish will provide up to 200 standard and high-def channels and will require no subscription fee.
The service is seen as an alternative to the U.K.'s Freeview, which offers free programming to homes via off-air antennas. However, many British residents can not get Freeview due to a lack of signal strength.
The BBC and ITV have announced they will launch a free High-Definition satellite service next spring. Called Freesat, the dish will provide up to 200 standard and high-def channels and will require no subscription fee.
The service is seen as an alternative to the U.K.'s Freeview, which offers free programming to homes via off-air antennas. However, many British residents can not get Freeview due to a lack of signal strength.
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BBC executive Mark Thompson tells Marketing Week that the free satellite service is intended to accelerate the nation's transition to Digital TV, now scheduled for completion in 2012.
"Its primary purpose is to drive digital take-up in analog homes, particularly in those areas which are out of digital terrestrial coverage," Thompson said. Freesat also offers a trusted free-to-view digital upgrade path that gives...all the benefits of digital television (notably High Definition capability) guaranteed free of subscription."
Marketing Week reports that the BBC and ITV are partnering with CE companies, retailers and installers to develop products and related services. It's unclear how much the Freesat dish and equipment will cost.
The BBC Trust, the regulatory body that governs the public channel, recently asked for public comment on the idea. The organization said 93 percent of 700 responses said the "BBC should be taking action to improve access to its digital services in the lead-up to the digital switchover."
Click TVPredictions.com to see today's Swanni Sez.
© TVPredictions.com
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BBC executive Mark Thompson tells Marketing Week that the free satellite service is intended to accelerate the nation's transition to Digital TV, now scheduled for completion in 2012.
"Its primary purpose is to drive digital take-up in analog homes, particularly in those areas which are out of digital terrestrial coverage," Thompson said. Freesat also offers a trusted free-to-view digital upgrade path that gives...all the benefits of digital television (notably High Definition capability) guaranteed free of subscription."
Marketing Week reports that the BBC and ITV are partnering with CE companies, retailers and installers to develop products and related services. It's unclear how much the Freesat dish and equipment will cost.
The BBC Trust, the regulatory body that governs the public channel, recently asked for public comment on the idea. The organization said 93 percent of 700 responses said the "BBC should be taking action to improve access to its digital services in the lead-up to the digital switchover."
Click TVPredictions.com to see today's Swanni Sez.
© TVPredictions.com
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Phillip Swann is
president and publisher of TVPredictions.com. He has been quoted in
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News, Inside Edition, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The
Chicago Tribune, The Financial Times, The Associated Press and The
Hollywood Reporter. He can be reached at swann@tvpredictions.com
or at 703-505-3064.
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