Digital TV switchover will start February 1 as planned
The digital terrestrial TV switchover will start on February 1 as planned. The switchover will put Malta in line with other EU countries which are also switching off the analogue signals to make space for the precious frequencies to be used for...
The digital terrestrial TV switchover will start on February 1 as planned. The switchover will put Malta in line with other EU countries which are also switching off the analogue signals to make space for the precious frequencies to be used for relatively new wireless services.
This means Malta’s free-to-air terrestrial television broadcasting system will be switched over from the old analogue technology to a modern digital system. It also ensures people have adapted or upgraded their televisions to receive national free-to-air digital TV broadcasts.
Around 26,000 – or 19 per cent – of Maltese households will be affected as they still use the analogue rooftop antenna to watch local and foreign free-to-air TV stations. These viewers have to make sure they get the digital signal by June 1, when the Maltese TV stations will switch off their analogue signal completely.
“February 1 will denote the completion of the implementation phase of the free-to-air digital TV platform which will be used for the broadcast of those Maltese TV stations which qualify as meeting general interest objectives,” a Malta Communications Authority official explained.
“TVM, as the state TV station, will be the first to be broadcast on this platform following test broadcasts currently being carried out by TVM. The digital switchover network is already up and running and reaches all parts of Malta and Gozo.
“The digital switchover affects households which need a digital TV decoder or a digital TV to continue to watch free-to-air Maltese TV when the analogue broadcasts are switched off on June 1. Subscribers of Go and Melita will not be affected and will not need to do anything to prepare for the digital switchover,” according to the authority.
“Benefits for consumers include better picture and sound quality, a wider choice of TV stations and programmes, as well as on-screen listing and information on TV programmes (i.e. the electronic programme guide of EPG). Moreover, the switchover ensures that the public’s right to free-to-air viewership of general interest channels is safeguarded by ensuring that the digital broadcasts are unencrypted and hence no subscription will be required to watch the free-to-air Maltese TV stations,” the MCA added.
The switchover was originally planned for last December 31 but it was postponed by a few months to make sure everything was in place, especially the new digital switchover network entrusted to PBS and implemented with the support of Go, which has expertise in digital terrestrial TV services. The EU expects Malta and other EU countries to conclude the switchover by 2012, at the latest.
The spokesman explained how the next and final phase of the switchover will be the selection of five Maltese so-called ‘general interest’ TV stations that appeal to the general public. These will be added to TVM which qualifies automatically for a slot. The Broadcasting Authority launched the selection process in April last year by way of a consultation on the eligibility criteria for the classification of broadcasters that fulfill general interest objectives. This process is under way and the TV stations that qualify will be gradually included in the channel line-up.
An intensive public information campaign will run in the coming months with details on who will be affected and on what needs to be done so that households are able to watch the free-to-air Maltese TV stations in digital, the MCA reassured.
According to authority’s survey, it is estimated that 11.2 per cent (around 16,000) of households have free-to-air reception only, and an additional 7.6 per cent (around 10,500) have a pay-TV subscription as well as free-to-air reception. This adds up to roughly 26,000 – the estimated number of households that still watch analogue free-to-air Maltese TV received via the conventional rooftop aerial.
However, Maltese TV viewers have to be aware that this switchover is an EU-wide process, involving neighbouring countries like Italy, whose analogue TV signals have been enjoyed in Malta for decades.
There is no guarantee these signals will be captured just as well once the switchover is complete in Malta and Italy, since the digital signal is actually weaker and has a shorter range.
The digital switchover will only guarantee the viewing of six Maltese TV stations free-to-air via digital terrestrial.
The various tasks and activities are coordinated by the Digital Switchover Committee bringing together key stakeholders: the MCA acting as the chair of the committee as the national regulatory authority responsible for spectrum management and the regulation of television broadcasting networks and services; the Broadcasting Authority responsible for television and radio broadcasting (content); the Office of the Prime Minister, responsible for the broadcasting policy and the BA; the Ministry for Infrastructure, Transport and Communications, responsible for communications policy and strategy direction of the MCA; and the Ministry of Education, Employment and the Family, responsible for the state broadcaster, PBS Ltd.