1 Achievements to date
1. When ITV Digital went into administration in 2002,
there was widespread uncertainty about the future of digital terrestrial
television and the potentially negative effect on digital switchover.
The BBC judged that a successful bid to the then Independent Television
Commission to launch Freeview would provide greater certainty
that digital terrestrial television would continue in the UK.
As it had only six weeks to submit its bid, the BBC quickly developed
its proposals and, having been awarded a licence in July 2002,
launched Freeview in October that year.[6]
2. Freeview offers licence fee payers in geographical
areas covered by the service the option of receiving a package
of subscription-free digital television and radio services, including
the BBC's channels, through a roof-top television aerial (known
as digital terrestrial television). Digital satellite offers better
coverage than Freeview and has more services, but the BBC's market
research shows that many licence fee payers prefer to receive
services through a rooftop aerial rather than a satellite dish
and the BBC aims to ensure licence fee payers have a reasonable
choice of ways of getting its services (Figure 1).[7]
3. Freeview has been helped by BBC marketing campaigns
and, with the help of these campaigns, three out of four people
are now aware of the Freeview brand.[8]
In 2002 the BBC estimated that the number of households with digital
terrestrial television would reach 2.1 million by 2004 and then
increase steadily to 9.4 million in 2014. In the event, figures
published by Ofcom in September 2004 showed that nearly four million
households had digital terrestrial television,[9]
and the BBC's monitoring of consumer satisfaction has shown that
eight out of 10 Freeview customers say that they would recommend
Freeview to a friend.[10]Figure
1: How the BBC's digital television services can be received in
the UK
Note
Integrated digital televisions (iDTVs) are television
sets with a built-in receiver able to decode and display a digital
signal.
6 C&AG's Review, Figure 10 Back
7
Qq 10, 110 Back
8
C&AG's Review, paras 3.7-3.9; Q 11 Back
9
C&AG's Review, Figure 16; Ofcom (2004) Digital television
update: Quarter 2, 2004 Back
10
Q 11 Back
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