Something from another thread last year, but relevant to this.
The future of DTT from The House of Lords Select Committee on Communications and Digital - 1st Report of Session 2019 - published 5th November 2019.
https://publications.parliament.uk/p...muni/16/16.pdf
Pages 64-65
Quote:
250. Digital UK argued that DTT was necessary to safeguard the universal free availability of public service broadcasting. It noted that the future delivery of all TV through the internet was “conceivable” but it highlighted a number of challenges for this prospect. Broadband is still not universal: 13 per cent of adults do not have it. Broadband is associated with a monthly subscription contract which undermines the notion of ‘free TV’. It is also not as reliable or secure, and the internet TV industry is still developing.
251. Digital terrestrial television (DTT) will remain a major way for people to access linear television. The Government and Ofcom must ensure the continued provision of free spectrum for PSB output through DTT.
|
Their bold italics, not mine...
The relevance is that, at the moment, if you have a TV and an aerial (indoor or outdoor), you can watch Freeview TV at no extra expense, and with very little fuss (except for occasionally retuning the TV, and sometimes fiddling with the aerial if internal).
At the moment, 82% of the UK population have Broadband Access (not Internet Access, as people can have that through their smartphones) - under the IPTV delivery method (be it broadcast channels or SVOD, it's irrelevant), anyone without Broadband would be denied access to Freeview TV.
First issue, additional expense in purchasing Fixed Broadband so you can watch Freeview TV.
Next, if, like a lot of people, you have multiple TVs in your house, again, all you currently need is an aerial socket, or like me, the TVs in our bedroom and one of the other bedrooms just have a set-top aerial. If we had IP/Broadband delivered TV, people would need the wifi to be good enough, or network sockets, in those rooms.
Second issue, additional cost in setting up appropriate network/wifi connectivity to other TVs - especially in older houses with thick walls.
Then, what happens if the Broadband goes down? - no TV.
At the moment, if our Broadband goes down, we just go to the Digital channels, and carry on watching (if the programme is on Freeview, obviously). Or, over-utilisation or interference in your area could affect the quality of the programmes you are watching, due to the bandwidth being negatively affected/disrupted - remember the story late last year about a village having
18 months of slow speeds because of an old TV?
Third issue, if you lose your internet connection (or have it degraded), poor quality or no Freeview TV.