The government could set out its plans in the coming weeks to switch off terrestrial TV for good, with a national shift to streaming set to take place within a decade.
Such a move would mean television in the UK would become heavily reliant on access to the internet, as the airwave-using Freeview service is scrapped.
While this would reflect the rapid change in viewing habits for most Brits, who increasingly choose streaming over live TV, there are fears some could be left behind.
A green paper on the transition is expected to be published by the government in the next few weeks, according to the Telegraph.
The newspaper said ministers would look for reassurances that streaming interfaces would be simple for everyone to use, and that providers will support those who are making the change.
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A full shift away from terrestrial television is pencilled in for 2034 under current legislation.
According to the House of Commons Library, 17% of UK households relied entirely on the digital terrestrial service to watch TV in 2023 – meaning they did not use satellite, cable or streaming.
Broadcasters including the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 back a transition, saying that it costs them a massive amount to maintain signals used by a declining number of people.
However, a campaign launched by telecoms company Arqiva – which has skin in the game, as the provider of terrestrial TV infrastructure – wants to push the date of the shift back to 2040 or beyond.
The members of the Broadcast 2040+ coalition argue the move risks hurting those who rely most on this service, such as older people and those on lower incomes.
What is digital terrestrial television?
This wouldn’t be the first time the UK has made a major shift in its television provider.
In October 2012, the country’s final analogue signals were turned off and the transition to digital was complete.
At that point, the main fallback option was digital terrestrial television which uses a signal sent through airwaves by masts – we call it Freeview.
Switching this off would mean TV is only available in the UK through satellite services such as Sky Q and Freesat; cable services such as Virgin Media; or streaming over the internet.
Sky Q is also being phased out, with Sky offering its internet-delivered Stream and Glass platforms instead.
A report for Sky published in January backed plans to shift the UK to fully internet-provided TV in the 2030s, meaning satellite and cable would be scrapped alongside terrestrial.
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