Terrestrial television remains strong in Europe – important for sovereignty: what does the RSPG report say?

The new RSPG report leaves no doubt that terrestrial broadcasting will remain with a large majority. Yes, two countries (Sweden and Finland) have plans to switch off (p.67) – It but the RSPG survey took place before the US election and a lot has changed since then on the subjects ‘resilience’ and ‘sovereignty’.

Table 4 is based on the responses of the content providers, including 17 public Broadcasters:

So almost all of them do terrestrial. In addition, many Broadcasters have requirements that they can only fulfill with terrestrial broadcasting. I think it’s wrong to read the end of terrestrial.

And:

“Broadcasting stakeholders generally view the modernisation of DTTB as crucial to maintaining the platform’s appeal.”, p.51
If I want to get out, I don’t modernize or invest.
“Broadcasting stakeholders, with the notable exceptions of Austrian, Latvian, and Dutch respondents, generally believe that the growth of television distribution via OTT, IPTV, or cable has only a limited impact on distribution through dedicated broadcasting networks. Czech stakeholders emphasise that these modes are inherently complementary rather than substitutive. “, p.52

„Broadcasting stakeholders, by and large, argue that DTTB possesses unique characteristics that must be considered when discussing the replication of its free-to-air distribution model. These include ease of use, universality in many countries, robustness, a focus on FTA services, and energy and economic efficiency. They assert that no other distribution method can fully replicate the DTTB model, with some highlighting that 5G Broadcast could further enhance it by enabling reception on mobile devices.”, p.54

A number of broadcasting network operators and Broadcasters have mentioned the advantages of terrestrial (p. 64). If they all want to get out, they are no longer credible:

[1] CDG, CRA, Media Broadcast, ORF, DR, EBU, Swedish Radio, Levira, LVRTC, NTV, Uteca, Telecentre, Itelazpi, RTVE, Unired, 4iG, Digita Oy, 2RN, Cellnex, Digea
[1] ORF, DR, EBU, Swedish Radio, Broadcast Partners
[1] BNE, PIRC, Itelazpi, RTVE, Unired, ARD, Cairo Network and CRTV, EI-Towers, Eletronica Industriale, Persidera, Digea
[1] Wider Spectrum Group, AXION, Media Broadcast, ORF, DR, EBU, Swedish Radio, BNE, PIRC, Digita Oy, TDF, 2RN, Cellnex, OIV
[1] CDG, CRA, BNE, PIRC, Uteca, Itelazpi, RTVE, Unired, Cellnex, Digea, OIV
[1] Wider Spectrum Group, ORF, DR, EBU, Swedish Radio, AER

Graph 54 Consequences if in the period 2030-2040 linear TV were to move to a platform other than DTTB, p.78

Scale:
1 (no consequence) to 5 (strong consequences)
0 (depends on how abrupt or costly the transition will be).

A switch would therefore have considerable consequences.

Graph 15 DTTB switch-off expectations in EU countries

That is the assessment of the regulators, not the broadcasters. Even Finland has said nothing about this. Only Luxembourg (unfortunately,…) and Slovenia want to switch off, but they are not too important, as reception from neighbnours would still be possible even if they were switched off. Plus the Netherlands and Sweden. However, the security situation has changed.