BBC digital £1.8bn deal with Arqiva (NTL Broadcast)

gameboy

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BBC seals £1.8bn digital deal

The BBC has signed a £1.8bn contract with Arqiva to build its high-power digital terrestrial TV network as the corporation moves towards digital switchover.
The 25-year deal will replace both the BBC's analogue TV network and current low-power DTT network, which provides its Freeview digital TV service to viewers via their existing aerials.

Arqiva - the broadcast-transmission company formerly known as NTL Broadcast - was appointed in May by the BBC to develop its network, and the details of the contract have now been finalised.

The corporation's two public service TV multiplex networks will deliver digital TV to 98.5% of the population via rooftop aerials broadcast from 1,154 transmitter sites.

And digital radio coverage will be extended by up to 160 additional transmitters across the UK.

The corporation said the deal was "expected to be worth, taking into account inflation, in excess of £1.8bn over the contract period". New DTT services will be introduced on a region-by-region basis between 2008 and 2012 and the service will continue to be delivered by Arqiva until 2031 for TV and 2023 for radio.

The money will come out of the BBC's licence fee funds, and will be paid for as part of the corporation's commitment to driving digital takeup.

"We are delighted to take this next step in the process of digital switchover," said Richard Waghorn, the controller of distribution at the BBC.

"The delivery of high-power digital signals to the whole country is crucial if the BBC is to help deliver a fully digital UK." Steve Holebrook, the managing director terrestrial media solutions at Arqiva, said: "Digital switchover is a complex and challenging task and we are absolutely delighted to have been chosen by the BBC to deliver their future television broadcast network."

Source: Media Guardian
 

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Gameboy, I found this news item very puzzling, any more info?

As I understand it, the BBC is considering a 1.5M "bond" - effectively "shares" - to complete digital terrestrial changeover, otherwise the license fee would go up (the government won't pay for it from our taxes, fair enough I suppose!).

However, there's no point at all in building any "high power network", unless to achieve the same coverage from fewer transmitter sites, but considering the difficulties of DTT reception that would be unwise, and I'm not aware of any such plans.

What IS proposed is moving to 8k transmission, after analogue switchoff, which would improve reception.
 
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