The Digital Terrestrial Pioneers

Abstract

The pioneers of digital terrestrial television had a turbulent time during the period 2000–2002. Having created the framework for launching the new platform, governments stood back, leaving implementation largely to the market. The combination of inexperience and immature technology caused problems. In the UK and Spain, where new digital terrestrial broadcasters entered the pay-TV market in head-to-head competition with established satellite and cable operators, the newcomers collapsed into bankruptcy. The digital terrestrial TV platform in both countries was subsequently repositioned to focus on free-to-view households and their progress towards analogue terrestrial switch-off was to take several more years. Other early starters — the United States, Australia, Sweden and Finland — faced difficulties as the take-up of digital terrestrial receivers stalled in the market. Each had to undertake a significant policy re-think before it could recover. The period 2000–2002 was characterised by financial and regulatory crises. In 2003, however, Berlin showed the world how analogue terrestrial switch-off could be speedily accomplished in a market dominated by cable and satellite. Thereafter digital television switchover proceeded smoothly in a number of heavily cabled countries in northern Europe and the Netherlands was the first large country to complete the process nationally in 2006.