Quote:
Originally Posted by jfman
Which brings us (once again) to the fact that the advertising revenue from reaching the eyeballs on DTT outweighs the costs of broadcasting on it. Because to a rights holder the additional cost of the DTT platform is peanuts by comparison for the multi-billion point television industry.
Rational capitalists don’t voluntarily cannibalise their revenue streams and hand advantages to their competitors. Hence everyone keeps a far higher volume of content, by hour of broadcast, on DTT above the contractual minimum for PSBs.
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The TV industry disagrees with you, jfman. Do you actually know the total cost of DTT broadcasting?
---------- Post added at 19:16 ---------- Previous post was at 19:12 ----------
Quote:
Originally Posted by jfman
Yes, OB.
But the viewers aren’t all on IP based systems for a multitude of reasons, explained many times over. Viewers who actually have mechanisms to use on demand - and have done for twenty years - still watch linear television as broadcast. Including over DTT.
That’s the square that cannot be circled without big bad government intervention making a decision unpopular to the masses.
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Yes, but what will be the situation in five years’ time’? Audience figures are declining.
What you are ignoring is that if IP is the only method of broadcasting in the future, then that is what the population will have to use.
---------- Post added at 19:22 ---------- Previous post was at 19:16 ----------
In terms of costs, this is what Chat GBT threw up:
Operating a Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) multiplex in the UK involves several cost components:
1. Spectrum Fees:
• National Multiplexes: Each of the six national DTT multiplexes, managed by operators such as the BBC, Digital 3&4, SDN, and Arqiva, incurs an annual spectrum fee of £188,000. 
• Local Multiplexes: The local TV multiplex, operated by Comux UK, also pays an annual spectrum fee, with phased implementation details specified by Ofcom. 
2. Transmission and Maintenance Costs:
• Infrastructure Expenses: These include costs related to transmission equipment, site rentals, maintenance, and energy consumption. While specific figures vary based on the multiplex’s scale and coverage area, these operational expenses are substantial.
3. Licensing and Regulatory Fees:
• Ofcom Licenses: Operators must obtain the necessary licenses from Ofcom, the UK’s communications regulator. Licensing fees vary depending on the multiplex’s scope and services offered. 
4. Content Delivery Network (CDN) Costs:
• Data Transmission: Multiplex operators may incur costs associated with delivering content to transmission sites, especially if utilizing third-party CDN services.
5. Administrative and Operational Expenses:
• Staffing and Overheads: Costs related to personnel, administrative operations, and other overheads are integral to multiplex management.
So it seems that precise costs are not easily available, but they are clearly significant otherwise so there would not be a problem in broadcasting on two platforms, but clearly, there is indeed a problem.