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19/04/2012
BBC To Return £300m Of Digital Switchover Money
Almost half of the £600m allocated to help people make the switchover from analogue to digital TV will be returned by the BBC after the change was not as problematic as it was feared it might have been.
A total of £603m was allocated out of licence fee revenues to help the over-75s, the blind and partially sighted and with other serious disabilities get digital TV.
The total cost of helping people make the switch has been much cheaper than the original projection.
The BBC now expects to return almost £300m of the £603m fund to the government, substantially higher than previous estimates of a £250m underspend.
The money will be spent on broadband rollout and culture secretary Jeremy Hunt's plan to develop new local TV services across the country.
The last big major hurdle to a digital-only future was cleared on Wednesday when analogue BBC1, ITV1, Channel 4 and Channel 5 were turned off across the London region.
(H)
A total of £603m was allocated out of licence fee revenues to help the over-75s, the blind and partially sighted and with other serious disabilities get digital TV.
The total cost of helping people make the switch has been much cheaper than the original projection.
The BBC now expects to return almost £300m of the £603m fund to the government, substantially higher than previous estimates of a £250m underspend.
The money will be spent on broadband rollout and culture secretary Jeremy Hunt's plan to develop new local TV services across the country.
The last big major hurdle to a digital-only future was cleared on Wednesday when analogue BBC1, ITV1, Channel 4 and Channel 5 were turned off across the London region.
(H)
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19 December 2003
BBC predicts rosy future for digital TV
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BBC predicts rosy future for digital TV
New BBC channels have had a "bumper year" and digital television is on track to reach 50% take-up by the New Year, according to the BBC. The statement claims that digital television is growing at breakneck speed and is set to be in half of all UK homes. The prediction follows record-breaking sales of Freeview in the lead up to Christmas.
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BBC Trust Approve Gaelic Digital Service
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BBC Trust Approve Gaelic Digital Service
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27 April 2007
BBC receives go-ahead for 'Freesat' TV service
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BBC receives go-ahead for 'Freesat' TV service
The BBC has today been given approval by the BBC Trust to launch a UK free-to-view satellite proposition as a joint venture with ITV. The 'Freesat' service will provide a Standard Definition and High Definition (SD and HD) enabled digital satellite proposition with launch anticipated for Spring 2008.
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