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| The future of streamed only TV? |
However, that does not mean the traditional Freeview service has become unnecessary, or that switching it off would be a sensible move.
The Government is currently consulting on the future of digital terrestrial television, with possibilities including ending Freeview broadcasts in 2034 or extending the service until 2044. Importantly, no final decision has yet been made.
Supporters of an internet-only future argue maintaining television transmitters will become increasingly expensive as more people switch to online viewing. That may be true, but television is a public service as well as an entertainment business.
Freeview works because it is simple. Connect an aerial, tune in the television and watch. There is no broadband contract to arrange, no password to remember, no app to update and no additional monthly internet bill. And no sudden loss of service when your broadband fails or the nearest cell town goes on the blink. But more on this later.
For older viewers, people with disabilities and anyone who is uncomfortable with digital technology, that simplicity is enormously valuable. Ofcom has previously found the households most likely to continue relying entirely on terrestrial television include older, less affluent and disabled people.
An internet-only system would also shift costs onto viewers. Freeview itself does not require a subscription, whereas online television needs a reliable broadband connection. Even if the programmes remain free, the connection required to receive them certainly is not.
Rural communities could be particularly badly affected. Broadband coverage and speed have improved substantially, but there remains a considerable difference between a property technically being able to receive broadband and having a connection that is affordable, dependable and fast enough for uninterrupted television.
Internet services can also fail. Broadband outages, overloaded networks, faulty routers and power interruptions can suddenly remove access to every online television service in a household or even a neighbourhood or village.
Terrestrial broadcasting provides a valuable alternative, particularly during major emergencies when people need dependable access to news and public information.
There is also the question of privacy. Traditional television broadcasts travel from the transmitter to the viewer without the broadcaster needing to know who is watching. Internet television can generate information about viewing habits, devices and accounts. Moving everyone online would make anonymous television viewing increasingly difficult.
The answer should not be to oppose streaming technology. Services such as BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4, My5 and Freely offer convenience and additional choice. They should continue to develop alongside terrestrial television.
A hybrid approach would give viewers the best of both worlds: Freeview for universally available live channels and internet services for catch-up programmes, additional content and on-demand viewing.
According to Ofcom’s research, millions of people are still expected to depend on terrestrial television well into the 2030s. The Government’s own discussion papers acknowledge that extending Freeview until 2044 would offer a lower-risk transition.
Technology should expand people’s choices, not take reliable services away from those who still need them. Until affordable and dependable internet access is genuinely universal, and everyone is comfortable using it, switching off Freeview would be premature, exclusionary and potentially very costly for viewers.
Freeview should be modernised where necessary, but it should not be sacrificed simply because internet television is growing. Sometimes the most sensible technology policy is to keep a system that continues to work.
Silver Voices are running a petition which you can access here:- https://c.org/48hGy7wK4W
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