With the government in the United Kingdom expected to publish its provisional conclusions on the future of television distribution, the company that runs the terrestrial transmission network has proposed what it calls a viable, cost-effective and future-proofed plan that would maintain digital terrestrial television until around 2045.

In written evidence to a parliamentary inquiry, Arqiva proposes replacing the current six national digital terrestrial television multiplexes with three multiplexes, including a shared BBC and PSB multiplex from 2034 onwards, while maintaining 98.5% coverage and extending terrestrial television into the mid-2040s.

Arqiva argues that extending digital terrestrial transmissions beyond 2034 is a pragmatic and enabling approach that protects universal access to broadcast services while supporting the hybrid services. It says that by maintaining a resilient broadcast backbone through to at least 2045, the United Kingdom can support a transition to online distribution over the longer term, while simultaneously unlocking spectrum, efficiency and innovation benefits across the network.

Around 13.6 million homes in the United Kingdom currently rely on digital terrestrial television, many of them supplementing this with online services. There is also a significant minority of 4.9 million homes without an internet connected television, including 1.3 million homes without any broadband connection.

Digital terrestrial television accounted for 46.5% of all public service broadcaster viewing in 2025, which is three times the level attributed to online viewing of their output. BBC One and ITV1 each derive that level of viewing from terrestrial television, while online accounts for 17% and 12% respectively.

Arqiva says that no comprehensive transition plan has been set out detailing how or when universal broadcast services could be replaced by online delivery.

It proposes to modernise the digital terrestrial television platform in the United Kingdom by moving from six national multiplexes to three, using a more efficient transmission standard that is already supported by most televisions. This would include one multiplex shared by the BBC and other public service broadcasters from 2034 onwards. It says that this would sustain universal free-to-air broadcast television into at least the middle of the 2040s, while providing a practical, proportionate pathway for the long-term evolution of television distribution.

The digital terrestrial television network in the United Kingdom is currently carried over six core multiplexes. Three are licensed to public service broadcasters, of which two are used by the BBC and one is shared by ITV and Channel 4. Three others are licensed to commercial operators, two of which are to Arqiva and one is used by ITV. There is an additional multiplex that carries local television and other services, and a further multiplex serving Northern Ireland.

Much of the existing DVB-T terrestrial transmission infrastructure installed during digital switchover will be reaching the end of its operating life. Modernising the network using the more recent DVB-T2 standard would provide more efficient use of spectrum.

As part of a future DTT network, Arqiva proposes transitioning from the current six core multiplexes to three DVB-T2 multiplexes after 2034, while offering a similar range of services to viewers.

Arqiva says that this would reduce the collective costs for the BBC and other public service broadcasters by 40% in real terms, reducing power consumption by over 40%. It would also unlock the 600 MHz band for government auction and mobile use.

The transmission services provider notes that the cost of retaining digital terrestrial television for the BBC could amount to just 2% of current licence fee income. That is about £80 million a year.

Of course, the BBC would rather not pay that at all, but distribution is a cost of business for any broadcaster or media organisation. The cost of delivery over the internet is far from free. Then there are radio services that are carried using the same tower infrastructure as television services.

The digital terrestrial transmission network currently supports critical national infrastructure for the country and remains remarkably resilient. The tall tower infrastructure is used by various critical services, including emergency communications.

While the internet is designed to be resilient, it can still be liable to disruption and interruption.

Although the availability of internet access is pervasive, it is still a problem in rural areas. Availability is not the same as uptake and some users, particularly those that are elderly and vulnerable do not have adequate internet connectivity.

To replicate the universal reach of digital terrestrial television, Arqiva argues that high-speed fixed broadband connection of at least 30 Mbps would need to be effectively guaranteed to 98.5% of households. This would require a huge and ongoing subsidy to support those who could not afford it, which would almost certainly fall on taxpayers. It suggests that this could cost £1 billion a year in subsidies.

Arqiva argues that there is currently no plan that would maintain universal and free access to television in the event that digital terrestrial television was to be switched off.

The company says that a hybrid model, where terrestrial television provides a universal foundation and online delivery offers additional choice and functionality, remains the best approach for 2034 and beyond.

Naturally there is an element of self-interest, as switching off terrestrial television transmissions would have commercial consequences for the provider of these services. It could also have unintended consequences for other services.

Ultimately, the government may need to support the provision of universal access one way of another.

Public service broadcasters take a rather different view. In evidence to the same inquiry, the Future TV Taskforce, which represents the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 among others, argues that audiences are increasingly choosing services delivered online and that the long-term direction of travel is towards online distribution.

It says that only 2.8 million homes still rely on digital terrestrial television and do not have access to online services on their television. Of these only 900,000 homes, or about 3% of homes, do not have broadband internet access.

The broadcasters suggest that consolidation on a modernised DVB-T2 platform would leave viewers with a second-tier service with only a few channels.

Based on current DVB-T2 capacity estimates, three multiplexes could support a line-up of more than 20 high-definition television channels, depending on compression, picture quality and other operational factors.

The challenge for policymakers is that the debate is about much more than technology. It involves economics, spectrum policy, resilience, digital inclusion and the future of public service broadcasting. The question is no longer simply whether television can be delivered over the internet. It is what society expects universal television to mean in the coming decades.

The submissions are among those published on the parliament web site as written evidence to the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee inquiry into the BBC Royal Charter Review.

arqiva.com
committees.parliament.uk

Global television shipments increased 6% year-on-year to over 50 million units in the first quarter of 2026, as retailers increased inventory in anticipation of the football World Cup. Major sporting events like the Olympics and the World Cup generally provide a boost to television sales, as people use them as a reason to buy a better, often larger screen.

The market tracker from informa research company Omdia shows that shipments to all regions grew year on year, except for mainland China, where there is surprisingly weak local demand, although it still had about 8.8 million shipments.

Chinese vendors redirected additional shipments into Asia and Oceania, where total shipments were up 13% at around 8.9 million units, and Latin America, up 12% at about 6.9 million.

Western Europe also had about 6. 9 million units, but grown was only about 1.2%.

Shipments were up 11% in North America at about 10.9 million units, despite a highly saturated market.

As co-host of the World Cup football tournament, the United States market offers retailers a clear opportunity to promote television sets aggressively.

Competition among retailers remains intense, and margins are slim, with manufacturers increasingly reliant on recurring revenue from advertising and other sources rather than hardware sales.

This has largely insulated consumers in North America and elsewhere from increased memory prices that are affecting a wide range of consumer goods.

Globally, television prices have also remained surprisingly stable, reflecting the highly competitive nature of the market.

TV Sets (Emerging Technologies) Market Tracker is published by Omdia.

omdia.tech.informa.com

Everyone TV says that its Freely television platform is expected to be in 10.5 million households in the United Kingdom by 2034. Freely, which launched two years ago, had a million weekly users over Christmas. It is being promoted as the successor to Freeview digital terrestrial television, which is used in about half the households in the country, with about 3.6 million using it exclusively.

Everyone TV cites a forecast from 3 Reasons that suggests the number of homes without internet access is projected to fall to 220,000 by 2034. There are currently about 1.2 million homes in the United Kingdom without an internet connection. Establishment survey data from audience research organisation suggests that 84% of homes have a television connected to the internet.

From this Everyone TV, presumably relying on 3 Reasons forecasts, somehow extrapolates that Freely will be in 10.5 million households in the United Kingdom by 2034. No methodology for the prediction was provided.

That might be credible on the assumption that most televisions sold in the United Kingdom will support the Freely platform. So far, leading manufacturers representing around half the market share of television ownership have declined to adopt the Freely operator application, although they are happy to support the HbbTV standard on which it is based.

In January, Everyone TV proudly announced that it had passed one million weekly users over Christmas, up from half a million in September, and claimed that made Freely the fastest growing platform in the country. However, a million users represent about 3.65% of around 27.5 million television households in the country.

Rob Collier, the head of strategy at 3 Reasons, part of MTM, owned by media, marketing and technology company Brave Bison, said: “Our role at 3 Reasons is to provide robust, well considered and independent forecasts grounded in the best available data, which can be used to inform critical TV infrastructure decisions.”

Everyone TV is a member of the self-styled Future TV Taskforce, which comprises its shareholders, the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and 5, together with STV and S4C. It says it supports a carefully planned and managed transition from digital terrestrial television to internet-delivered television. It says its data provides “strong evidence” that this is the right direction of travel.

It may be the direction of travel but the key question is when the destination will be reached. The assumption may be that will be by 2034, but that does not seem so far away now.

Jonathan Thompson, the chief executive of Everyone TV, said: “The way audiences engage with TV is changing and these updated forecasts reflect that clear direction of travel. It is vital that any future change in TV distribution is carefully planned and managed, that issues of connectivity and affordability are addressed, and that no viewer is left behind.”

An independent report on the Future of TV Distribution provided to the government in 2024, to which 3 Reasons contributed, acknowledged that: “There are risks that Freely may not be widely adopted in the UK, not least if the main TV set manufacturers decide not to implement Freely, a UK-only technology, in their products. They may decide to address the mainstream requirements of the European market using DVB-I, waiting for the UK to follow.”

A government announcement on the future of the television distribution is expected to be published soon.

www.everyonetv.co.uk