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*Digital Switchover

What do Transmitters do?*

Around 80% of people in Britain receive their terrestrial TV signal through 80 main transmitters located all over the country. The remaining 20% of the population cannot be reached by the main transmitters, so approx 1,100 relay transmitters are used to ensure those homes receive a TV signal. Each transmitter has “muxes” (multiplexes), which send out digital signals. Each mux can carry about 8 TV channels.

What’s the fuss about a Mux?

For those people who receive their TV signal through a main transmitter, when they Switchover, they will receive around 40 Freeview Channels, plus radio and text services.

However, those people who receive their signal from a relay transmitter will get around 15 channels plus radio and text services. These will include the BBC and other public service broadcasters, as they are required to ensure that approx 95% of the population can receive their channels.

However, the commercial channels are able to decide whether or not to put muxes on the relay transmitters. Each mux runs into £10,000s each, plus the money needed to run and maintain them. As a result, the companies are unwilling to invest in this way.

All round the country there have been campaigns against the so-called Freeview-lite (a term coined by my colleague Michael Moore, MP for the Borders). However, despite this and my many discussions with broadcasters in my role as Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, there has not been one agreement from the commercial broadcasters to add a mux to a relay transmitter.