ITV

Tag: DTT

  • DD plans for multiplex transmitters at 630 locations for SDTV, HDTV, and mobile TV

    DD plans for multiplex transmitters at 630 locations for SDTV, HDTV, and mobile TV

    NEW DELHI: Doordarshan has drawn up a long term plan to have a ‘multiplex‘ of five transmitters each at 630 locations to provide a competitive platform.

    Each of these multiplex transmitters will have two for standard television, two for high definition TV, and one for mobile TV services.

    Stating this in an action-taken report to the Parliametary Standing Committee on Information and Technology, the information and broadcasting ministry has said it is in discussion with the department of telecom for release of more spectrum.

    The I&B Ministry has asked the telecom department to give spectrum for various broadcasting services in the UHF Band V since the frequency band 700 MHz – that is, 698 to 806 MHz – has been earmarked for international mobile telecom services by the World radio Conference 2007.

    As part of digitisation of its terrestrial networks, DD is planning to set up 630 digital transmitters which comprise 230 high power and 400 low power transmitters. Projects for establishment of forty digital transmitters (SDTV) and four high definition digital transmitters have already been taken up under the Eleventh Plan.

    It is felt that in view of its long-term plans, the total spectrum requirement of DD will be met in Band-IV (470-582 MHz) and eight channels in Band-V (582-646 MHz).

    DD also has frequency assignment in 700 MHz band in two carriers: (745 MHz and 795 MHz each with a bandwidth of 20 MHz for mobile video link and Channel 54 (734-742 MHz) for digital terrestrial transmitters (DTT) in the four metro cities.

    Furthermore, the Ministry says it is estimated that at least 96 MHz of spectrum will be required for four operators to start mobile TV services.

    The Ministry has also pointed out that under NFAP (National Frequency Allocation Plan) 2008, the frequency band 585-806 MHz is predominantly for broadcasting services including mobile TV.

    However according to the draft India Remarks for NFAP 2011, it was suggested that the UHF Band V be bifurcated with 585-698 MHz going to digital broadcasting and 698-806 MHz be given for IMT applications.

    Following the note by the I&B Ministry not to bifurcate this frequency, a committee has been set up with officials of the department of telecom and I&B Ministry.

    When it was revealed that the frequency band 625-675 MHz is being given to the defence ministry, it was pointed out by I&B Ministry that this disturbs the entire band and therefore the defence ministry be asked to relocate its frequency beyond 646 MHz so that the broadcasting spectrum remains contiguous.This matter is now with the Empowered Group of Ministers on vacation of spectrum.

  • France 24 expands distribution in key markets

    France 24 expands distribution in key markets

    MUMBAI: International news network France 24 has concluded a series of new distribution agreements, allowing the channel to strengthen its worldwide distribution in Denmark, Burma, Singapore, Thailand and Australia.

    In Denmark, the French and the Arabic versions of France 24 have joined the English version on the Digital terrestrial network (DTT) operated by Open Channel in Copenhagen. This new agreement allows France 24 to be available in three languages to 700,000 households throughout the Danish capital city.

    In Burma, France 24 English version has just launched on the new IPTV network Skynet (channel 45), allowing the channel to be available to 50 000 subscribers across the country.

    The news broadcaster has also signed an agreement with Telkom Vision in Indonesia which will ensure France 24 English version‘s availability on the operator‘s cable, IPTV and DTH offers. France 24 is now accessible to an additional 100,000 subscribers in major Indonesian cities, such as Jakarta, Bandung, Semarang and Denpasar.

    France 24 has extended its agreement with Singtel, the largest telecommunications company in Singapore, allowing its English version to be available on the operator mobile offer to 90 000 subscribers (Mobile TV subscribers).

    In Thailand, France 24 is now available on major IPTV operator ME TV. France 24 English version is now available 24/7 in the basic offer, while the French version will be available "?-la-carte" for 220 Bahts (5,5 Euros) per month.

    In Australia, France 24 has partnered with SBS, allowing its English version to be broadcast 30mn per day at 3pm on SBS ONE. This 30-minute news segment is also available for free on the Australian network website.

  • New technologies impacting TV viewership in Australia: Nielsen

    New technologies impacting TV viewership in Australia: Nielsen

    MUMBAI: New technologies such as personal video recorders (PVRs), Internet-delivered video, tablets and smartphones, coupled with burgeoning up-take of digital terrestrial television (DTT), are increasingly impacting Australians’ television viewing habits, according to a new report released.

    The first Australian Multi-Screen Report – compiled collaboratively by Nielsen, OzTam and Regional Tam – shows the extent to which new technologies are stimulating and enhancing viewing of broadcast content (‘video’)
    beyond conventional television sets.

    The report reveals that viewing of broadcast content via traditional TV sets remains strong and is growing. Meanwhile, smaller, more mobile and Internet-enabled devices – along with improved Internet connectivity – are creating new
    opportunities to view video content; although viewing via such devices remains low in comparison to conventional TV viewing, strong growth has been observed in the past year.

    Key findings as of Q4 (October-December) 2011
    – Overall TV viewing is strong and rising
    – Households have greater choice and access to DTT:
    – 95 per cent of all homes have at least one DTT-enabled TV set (up from 90% in Q1 2011)
    – 70 per cent of homes can receive DTT on every working TV set in the home (up from 55% in Q1)
    – 44 per cent of households have access to time-shifting devices, such as PVRs (up from 37 per cent inQ1)

    Combined, these factors give viewers greater choice and access to television content and are stimulating viewing via traditional means:

    -Average monthly time spent viewing television broadcast content in the home via conventional TV sets increased by 6.1% between Q4 2010 and Q4 2011 (by 6 hours and 31 minutes) to 113 hours and 38 minutes (All People figures).

    [NB:
    TV viewing behaviour of course fluctuates seasonally, with viewing increasing in winter time]

    – Average monthly time spent viewing playback (recorded) television content has increased by 4 hours and 31 minutes (60%) since Q4 2010, now at 12 hours per month in Q4 2011

    – Approximately 99 per cent of Australian households have at least one working TV set. Overall TV monthly reach (that is, where people watch at least some television during the
    period) has increased from 97 per cent in Q4 2010 to 98 per cent of Australians nationally in Q4 2011.

    There is a strong and positive relationship between screen size and propensity to view, with people demonstrating a preference to watch content on the largest screen available.

    Online video viewing is rising but remains small in comparison to conventional TV

    – 77 per cent of households are connected to the Internet (77% in Q1), providing potential access to online television video content:

    – Australians spent an average of 43 hours and 54 minutes per month using the Internet on a PC in Q4 2011 (up slightly from 43 hours and 33 minutes in Q1)

    – Australians spent an average of 3 hours and 27 minutes per month watching any online video (not just television broadcast content) in Q4 2011, up from two hours and seven minutes in Q1 2011

    Smartphone take-up is increasing but video viewing on such devices remains small

    – An estimated 49 per cent of Australians aged 14+ years own a smartphone (35% in Q1)

    – Video usage on smartphones has seen strong increases but still trails traditional TV viewing by a long way:

    – Video usage on mobile phones is largely dictated by available services and associated service costs. Current estimates suggest this usage is relatively light but growing rapidly

    – Users spend an average one hour and 20 minutes per month watching any video (not just television broadcast content) on a mobile phone (35 minutes in Q1),
    suggesting usage of such devices to view TV video content remains small

    Take-up of tablets is increasing
    – An estimated 10 per cent of metro households own at least one tablet device
    – Watching any video content on tablets grew from just two per cent of the total online population at the end of 2010 to five per cent by the end of 2011

    People aged 18-34 are the heaviest consumers of online video and video on mobile phones The combination of the extended screens (PC and mobile phone usage) for any video content still accounts for just 4% of the video consumption on traditional TV sets
    – Three hours 27 minutes per month on PCs (All People)
    – One hour 20 minutes per month on mobiles (people aged 14+)
    – 113 hours 38 minutes per month on a traditional TV (All People)

    Nielsen’s media industry practice group in Australia head Matt Bruce said, “The introduction of DTT and time-shifted viewing, and the speed with which Australians are adopting new technology which delivers broadcast content anywhere, anytime has impacted the way in which traditional television content is accessed. The Australian Multi-Screen Report confirms that new technology and devices are adding to, rather than replacing, Australians’ TV viewing, and for media owners, agencies and advertisers, these findings provide much-anticipated insights into the way media is consumed, thereby helping to understand viewing habits and more successfully reach and engage with audiences across multiple screens.”

  • France to set pace for digital TV in Europe: Study

    France to set pace for digital TV in Europe: Study

    MUMBAI: France has set a new benchmark for European digital television (DTV) policy.

    Strategy Analytics Broadband Media and Communications service has come out with a study Digital TV Transition: Europe Watches France’s Mandates As Terrestrial HDTV Arrives.

    France’s new ‘TV of the Future’ law has taken an important step towards high definition television (HDTV) on the digital terrestrial television (DTT) platform by allocating capacity for HD channels and mandating HD tuners in HD-Ready TV sets.

    These decisions will have ramifications for other countries in Europe, which will watch these developments with interest. There will also be important lessons from the French approach to licensing HD channels that takes place over the next few months.

    According to this report, the decisions made in France will put increased pressure on other European countries to accelerate their own policies towards HD on DTT platforms.

    Strategy Analytics principal analyst David Mercer says, “Most other European countries are still at the discussion stage regarding the introduction of HDTV on their DTT platforms.

    “France has taken an important lead by allocating the capacity for HDTV and ensuring that future HDTVs will be able to receive these new channels. The industry will be satisfied that France has set clear policy goals on these important issues.”

    Also according to the report, France’s plan to switch off analogue television broadcasts by 30 November, 2011 remains an ambitious goal, given much of the country’s still heavy dependence on those signals. But the country’s aggressive top-down approach to policy setting gives much-needed clarity to industry decision makers, which will allow technology vendors and service providers to plan with confidence.

  • DTT should be completed in Delhi by 2010

    DTT should be completed in Delhi by 2010

     NEW DELHI: A sub-group on ‘Going Digital’, set up by the Planning Commission, has recommended that digital terrestrial transmission by Doordarshan should be launched with a slogan Digital Delhi by 2010 to coincide with the Commonwealth Games in that year.

    The Sub-Group headed by Rajeev Ratna Shah, Member Secretary in the Planning Commission and a former CEO of Prasar Bharati, said a phased approach should be taken for going digital covering all the seven mega cities by 2011 in the first phase and the rest of the country by 2013.

    The sub-group, comprising 17 members, was set up by the Committee on Information, Communication and Entertainment (ICE) that has been examining the larger issue of convergence and advent of modern technology. Members include the secretaries in Information and Broadcasting and Department of Telecommunications, the Prasar Bharati CEO, the presidents of Cetma, Mait, Nasscom, and ISP Association of India, co-chairman of the Ficci entertainment committee Kunal Dasgupta, chairman of the CII entertainment committee, chairman of the Film & Television Producers Guild of India, president of the Cable TV Operators Association, Rajiv Mehrotra who is the managing trustee of the Public Service Broadcasting Trust, Virat Bhatia from AT&T Communications Services, Zee Telefilms President Abhijit Saxena, Sameer Rao who is vice-president in charge of strategy, planning & regulatory in STAR India, and a representative of the Prime Minister’s Office.
     

    It was also agreed that a group chaired by BS Lalli, the CEO of Prasar Bharati who is also chairman of the Indian Broadcasting Foundation, and some private broadcasters like Star, Zee, Sony, Eenadu etc. and their major MSOs will examine an 11-stage process and firm up their sequencing and put the entire process on a “digital upgrade timeline”.

    Digital migration process

    Ideally, the Sub-Group said the migration process must commence from Delhi in 2010, coinciding with the Commonwealth Games, and proceed to other mega cities by 2011 and Tier II and Tier III cities by 2012. In non-urban areas simulcast can continue for a few more years. Analogue transmission should be completely phased out by 2015 as the outer limit. It was decided that to keep the transition costs to the minimum, the switching over time as well as the simulcasting period should be kept to the minimum.

    There is need for convergence in regulation in the light of developments in technology and the I&B Ministry was requested by the sub-group to take a fresh look at the proposal for having a common communications convergence regulator with separate bureaus under it for dealing with content and carriage. A supplementary report will be submitted with regard to regulatory issues relating to going digital.

    All the content producers – Prasar Bharati as well as private operators – should provide agreed and identified channels in the digital / HDTV format to MSO / cable operators under “Must Carry” clause.

    High Definition TV should be introduced in a phased manner starting from Delhi (2008-09), extending it to all the six mega cities. Commonwealth Games should be covered in HDTV format in 2010.
     
    Spectrum planning

    The I&B Ministry, private broadcasters and service providers along with the Department of Telecommunications (WPC cell) should work in a coordinated manner to identify spectrum requirements keeping their rollout plans so that spectrum planning could be proactively made. A Spectrum Management Group could be set up to achieve this.

    Prasar Bharati should work out the financial implications of going digital, covering AIR and Doordarshan operations and submit the same to the Planning Commission.

    Prasar Bharati should digitally archive all its contents including educational contents for providing them for distribution streaming audio-video technologies. Prasar Bharati may also work out a mechanism to leverage the rich content available by appropriately pricing them and retailing them. All Prasar Bharati content of Classics or Fiction should be made web accessible with premium content accessible through payment gateway. Public service broadcasting content should be freely accessible on the web.

    Digital cinema

    The Sub-Group has also recommended amending the Cinematograph Act 1952 for inclusion of digital cinema. It said digital cinema should be seen as a means of securing the Intellectual Property Rights of the producer. Digitally recorded content taken from satellite in an encrypted conduit provides a failsafe method of delivering films to exhibitors directly, without intermediary or distributor’s interface at multiple locations simultaneously, in streaming audio-video-mode. It said this was the best guarantee against piracy. Digital cinema should, therefore, be encouraged by recourse to various fiscal and non-fiscal incentives.

    Production of cinema in digital format could be on lower tax regime and the theaters that have installed digital cinema exhibition facilities can be subjected to say lower entertainment tax. This would need to be taken up with State Governments, the Sub-Group said.

    It said all conditional access devices (and Set Top Boxes) should be built on common standards for inter-operability, so that customers are not put to inconvenience. This will also help in better absorption, acceptability of digital technology. The plain-vanilla-STB should lend itself to modular insertion of proprietary data to include value-added services.

    Content providers should be encouraged to work on creation of domain specific server farms and data depositories. The concept of digital libraries promoted by the Department of Information & Technology should also be publicly made available. Create open access platforms like Google libraries and others should also be encouraged. Memory modules could specially be created for lawyers, doctors, accountants and other professionals for instant data mining and retrieval in respect of their domain.

    Triple play services

    Triple play services riding on entertainment related applications would be able to create the most viable business models for spread of rural connectivity. Applications of Wi Max technology will allow entertainment to rural areas and this will provide ubiquitous Broadband experience to rural areas. Just as Wi Fi band has been delicensed, we need to move to the next step in encouraging proliferation of Wi Max technology for which the Wi Max band (2.5 GHz / 3.5 GHz / 700 MHz or existing Wi Fi band 2.4 – 2.48 GHz) could be delicensed for rural connectivity.

    Content creation would be a specialised area requiring thorough understanding of the local requirements and language that can only be done through local entrepreneurs. The Rural Content Provider (RCP) would provide content and other facilities, including entertainment, which will be of interest to the rural population. Delivery of services could be through home TV or Mobile telephone. The business model of such an RCP would vary from region to region and would be driven by the market. The department of IT and the Department of Telecommunications need to evolve a suitable policy framework that would encourage such RCPs.

    The Deparment of Information & Technology/National Informatics Centre should work out a comprehensive plan for rollout of statewise, regionwise and citywise GIS database and encourage private enterprise to do customized applications and value addition for various public sector as well as private sector applications.

  • BT, Microsoft & Philips join hands to unveil BT Vision in UK

    BT, Microsoft & Philips join hands to unveil BT Vision in UK

     MUMBAI: BT has announced the commercial launch of BT Vision, its new television and entertainment service. BT Vision uses the Microsoft TV Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) Edition software platform and an advanced Philips set-top box to deliver a next-generation digital television service to BT Total Broadband customers across the UK.

    BT Vision combines more than 40 DTT (digital terrestrial television )-based freeview channels, digital recording capability and a library of video-on-demand content delivered over broadband. This gives viewers more choice without the need to commit to a compulsory monthly TV subscription.

    An official release stated that BT, Microsoft Corp and Philips worked closely together to bring the full experience of BT Vision to the home. The Philips-designed set-top box offers advanced technology, including 80 hours of hard disk recording capability, two tuners, smart card reader, high-definition TV and numerous extension capabilities. The set-top box enables viewers to “time shift” programmes at their convenience, pausing live shows or recording them to watch at a later date. In addition, a “catch-up TV” feature gives viewers the convenience of viewing TV programmes they may have missed from the previous week.

    “BT Vision is a ground-breaking television service, giving consumers choice and flexibility without requiring them to be tied to a monthly TV contract,” said BT Vision chief executive Dan Marks. “Microsoft TV has given BT the power to build a service that we feel addresses a real market opportunity, enabling our customers to switch on to better TV.”

    BT Vision offers a variety of content combined with advanced television services. Further highlights include the following:
    – Varied content from Disney, Sony BMG, Universal, DreamWorks, National Geographic, Viacom and the BBC as well as independent programmers.
    – “Near-live” on-demand Premiership football action, starting in summer 2007.
    — Interactive services such as games.
    — Access to the phone book via the television.

    “BT Vision is a revolution for TV services in the UK. BT’s pioneering approach and Microsoft’s next-generation IPTV technologies have enabled a unique TV service that lets consumers control their TV experience,” said Microsoft’s TV division corporate vice president Enrique Rodriguez. “BT’s trusted brand is well-placed to bring exciting connected and personal television experiences to a wide range of consumers in the UK.”

    The announcement is the latest in a wave of European IPTV deployments based on the Microsoft TV software platform and heralds a new era of more compelling personal and connected TV experiences available to consumers.

  • Digital TV conversion impacting TV market

    Digital TV conversion impacting TV market

    MUMBAI : The international migration from analog broadcasting to digital terrestrial television (DTT) marches on with a significant impact on the television set market, reports market research firm In-Stat.

    Many nations have announced an analog broadcast shutoff date, but how they implement this change varies, In-Stat says. Some countries are allocating spectrum so they can transmit analog and digital broadcasts concurrently for a number of years. Other countries are rolling out DTT regionally and shutting down analog service as the rollout is completed.

    “There are now four main standards for digital television (DTV) broadcasting, with some similarities between these standards in audio and video compression, but the demodulation schemes are all different,” says Chris Kissel, In-Stat analyst. “Consumers that wish to receive free, over-the-air broadcasts must buy either a digital television with a digital tuner, or must have a set top box or converter box to receive the signal.”

    Among the findings in the study are:

    *DTV tuner integration is happening faster in North America and Japan than it is in Europe or other parts of Asia.

    *In-Stat anticipates that flat-panel displays will overtake CRTs by 2007.

    *11.6% of all respondents to an In-Stat US consumer survey plan to buy a new DTV set within the next six months.

  • Digital television progressing steadily in the UK : Ofcom

    Digital television progressing steadily in the UK : Ofcom

    MUMBAI: Britain’s media regulatory body Ofcom has published its Communications Market: Digital Television Progress Report for the second quarter of 2006 (April-June).

    The report shows that by the end of June 2006 70.2 per cent of UK television households (17.7 million) were watching digital television on at least one set in the home – up from 69.7 per cent at the end March this year.

    The report also reveals that the large majority of digital television receivers are now being bought for use on additional television sets within the home to complement digital viewing on the household’s primary television. The number of secondary television sets (for example, those used in a spare room or a child’s bedroom) viewed using digital receivers has more than doubled in the year to June 2006, from just under 3.5 million to over seven million.

    In total, more than 40 per cent of television sets in the UK are either connected to a digital set-top-box or have an integrated digital tuner demonstrating that a substantial number of households are now going fully digital.

    Key trends for the second quarter of 2006 include:

    Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) – Freeview services

    The three months to the end of June 2006 was the fourth consecutive quarter in which sales of DTT equipment (either set-top-boxes or televisions with built-in DTT tuners) exceeded the million mark. DTT sales, at 1.2 million for the quarter, were up more than 70 per cent on the same period in 2005.

    DTT services are now viewed on 19.4 per cent of the UK’s 60 million television sets, compared to 17.6 per cent in the previous quarter.

    The number of households viewing DTT services on their primary television set now stands at 6.4 million up 0.2 per cent since the first qyarter of 2006. The number of secondary sets used to watch DTT services has more than doubled in the past year and now stands at more than five million.

    Digital satellite television remains the most popular digital television platform on primary television sets in UK households. In total 33.4 per cent of UK television homes either subscribe to BSkyB’s television services or receive free-to-view satellite services.

    In the year to June 2006 satellite television accounted for around one quarter of net digital household additions. In the second quarter of 2006, of the 168,000 homes viewing digital services for the first time on their primary television sets, 64 per cent chose to do so via digital satellite television.

    The total number of Sky Multiroom subscribers (a subscription service which allows viewing on multiple sets in the home) broke through the one million mark in the second quarter of 2006 and the number of Sky+ subscribers stood at more than 1.5 million.

    Cable Television– NTL:Telewest services plus others

    An additional 50,000 households began subscribing to digital cable television in Q2 2006; the majority of those switched from legacy analogue cable television services. There are now over 2.8m digital cable television subscribers, representing 11.3% of all television households compared to 10.4% a year previously.

    Around 86 per cent of all cable television subscribers now view digital television services (with 14 per cent remaining on legacy analogue systems), up from 84 per cent in the previous quarter. When analogue cable subscribers are also taken into account, the total number of cable television subscribers stood at 3.3 million (13.1 per cent of all television homes) in the second quarter of 2006.

  • UK leads in digital television viewing: Ofcom

    UK leads in digital television viewing: Ofcom

    MUMBAI: Latest data from UK regulator Ofcom shows that the UK has the highest digital penetration of any country in the world. As of 31 December 2005 digital television was viewed by just under 70 per cent of all UK television households, up from 65.9 per cent in the previous quarter. Ofcom is now predicting 100 per cent digital TV penetration by 2012 (across all platforms – satellite, cable and terrestrial).

    The Communications Market: Digital TV Progress Report for the fourth quarter of 2005 is published by Ofcom. It examines data provided by the main digital television platform providers for the October-December 2005 period.

    Preliminary sales figures of Freeview (Digital Terrestrial Television or DTT) set top boxes suggest that by the end of February 2006, digital penetration had exceeded 70% of UK homes. Take up varies across the UK and has not passed the 50% mark in any other European country.

    Digital satellite is now the UK’s most popular television platform. For the first time, there are now more digital satellite subscribers in the UK than there are homes watching analogue terrestrial-only TV, as a result of continued growth in BSkyB’s subscriber base and large numbers of households switching from analogue terrestrial television to digital terrestrial services.

    In the year 2005, more than 2.7 million additional households began viewing digital television for the first time – more than in any previous year. By 31 December 2005, the total number of households viewing digital television services on at least one TV set in the home stood at 17.5 million. The report also reveals that almost one in four UK adults live in homes where all TV sets are now used for digital television viewing and viewing of analogue television services has ceased entirely.

    Quarterly DTT sales DTT sales DTT sales
    Q3, 2005 Q4, 2005
    Freeview set top boxes 826,300 1,527,600
    IDTV’s 196,000 402,200
    Total sales 1,022,300 1,929,800
    Source: Q4 sales figures, Gfk
    Cumulative total DTT boxes DTT total DTT total
    Q3, 2005 Q4, 2005
    Freeview set top boxes 7,214,700 8,742,300
    IDTV’s 1,411,100 1,813,300
    ITV Digital set top boxes 289,000 250,000
    Total digital terrestrial units in market 8,914,800 10,805,600
    Source: Ofcom, Gfk
    Other highlights from the Ofcom data:

    ” By the end of 2005, just under one in four homes had fully converted all their analogue TV sets to digital (either by adding a set top box or by upgrading to an integrated digital TV set (IDTV) – up from 16% in March 2005. Sales of IDTVs doubled between Q3 and Q4 2005, from around 200,000 to 400,000, to reach a total installed base of 1.8 million (see tables below). That means that almost 60% of all UK TV sets (36 million) still receive analogue transmissions.

    ” There are currently an estimated 34 million VCRs in use in the UK. Those that viewers use for recording one programme while watching another amount currently to around 25% of VCRs (7.5 million recorders) and will need to be replaced by personal video recorders (PVRs) if viewers wish to retain this functionality following switchover. By the end of 2005, around 1.4 million PVRs had been sold (mostly Sky+ boxes) and 2.3 million DVD recorders. Most of the latter do not have integrated digital tuners, however, and cannot replicate the full functionality of analogue VCRs.

    ” Ofcom’s new forecasts suggest that digital take-up will continue to grow steadily over the next few years, as switchover starts to take place on a region-by-region basis. It expects digital penetration to grow by around 1.7 million homes in 2006, and on average by around one million homes per year thereafter, until 2012. That means that 85% of homes will have taken up digital TV by the time the first region (Border) switches over in the second half of 2008. By the end of 2010, Ofcom estimates that 95% of households will have taken up digital TV. Penetration will reach 100% by the end of 2012, by the time analogue television is due to be switched off.