The Nordic Approach to DTT From the perspective of a public service broadcaster

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The Nordic Approach to DTTFrom the perspective
of a public service broadcaster

• Peter Looms
• Danish Broadcasting Corporation

Conference on POLISH ELECTRONIC MEDIA POLICY ON
THE EVE OF ACCESSION TO THE EUROPEAN
UNION Warsaw 29th March 2004
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Who I am and what I do 1/3

• Full-time consultant at DR, a public service
  broadcaster - to inform, educate and entertain
• Strategic planning, mainly digital TV and
  broadband

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Who I am and what I do 2/3

• Teach postgraduate courses
• in format development and
• strategic issues related
• to digital content
• the University of Hong Kong
• the IT-University of Copenhagen
• EMMDIS and TRAM (INA)
• Institute of Interactive Television Research,
• Murdoch University, Perth
• (October/November 2004)

Hong Kong January 2004
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Who I am and what I do 3/3

• Current tasks
• Participation in European standardisation efforts
  for Personal Video Recorders
• Benchmarking of web, mobile digital TV projects
  in the Nordic countries within the Nordvision New
  Media group
• Negotiations with FTTH operators for true
  broadband services
• Media strategy for DRs interactive media towards
  2010

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My presentation

• Why is a Strategy for DTT Important?
  The RRC 04/06 conferences
• Convergence and its impact to date
• DTT - the strategic dilemmas and options from a
  Nordic perspective

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Why is a strategy for DTT important?
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Why is a strategy for DTT important?

• The RRC 04/06 conference starts in less
  than 7 weeks time
• First major review of VHF/UHF frequency
  allocation since the Stockholm Plan
  in 1961 during the Cold War
• The next agreement is to last 20-30
  years

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Two Scenarios for DTT in the Nordic countries for
next 20-30 years

• Business as Usual for Public Service
  Broadcasting
• Public Service Broadcasting as a Minimalist Niche
  in a Free Market Environment

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Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3

1. Business as Usual
Broadcast radio TV (digital)
Broadcast Radio incl. DAB Television (analogue)


Broadcast Radio Television (analogue)
Broadcast radio TV (digital)
Data Broadcast Services (digital)
Danish VHF/UHF channels
Data Broadcast Services (digital)
HDTV (digital)
Analog Broadcast Services
Analog Broadcast Services
Now Simulcasting Digital
broadcasting only 2004
DSO 2005 ASO
2008-2013??? 2030

• How much bandwidth will we need in phases 2 og
  3?
• How much will be needed for SD TV, Datacast and
  HDTV?

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Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3

2. Free Market Model
Broadcast radio TV (digital)
Broadcast Radio incl. DAB Television (analogue)


Broadcast Radio Television (analogue)
Broadcast radio TV (digital)
Data Broadcast Services (digital)
Danish VHF/UHF channels
Auction of surplus frequencies broadcast and
datacast
Analog Broadcast Services
Analog Broadcast Services
Now Simulcasting Digital
broadcasting only 2004
DSO 2005 ASO
2010-2013??? 2030

• In this model, no interactive media and services
  on DTT
• No HDTV using MPEG-4 or alternative codec
• I-media and services on digital
  cable/satellite/IP broadband only

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Supply Danish Channels 1995
Convergence to date
radio
tv
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Supply Danish Channels 2004
Convergence to date
radio
P5 P6
Altid Sport
tv
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Demand - Television Viewing
Convergence to date

• Some things change slowly...

Year
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Media consumption - 1995
Convergence to date
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Media consumption - 2004
Convergence to date

• Paradigm shift emerging for 15-24 year olds
• 25 dont watch TV any more

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Fragmentation yet to show itself
Convergence to date

• Public service TV has
• 71 market share
• Will it continue to do so?

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What are the critical challenges for public
service strategy?
From 2004 to 2024

• More choice? (channels and
  programmes)
• More quality?
  (better picture and sound)
• More flexibility? (anything,
  anytime, anywhere)
• More interactive content and services?
• Terrestrial broadcasting or a mix of
  terrestrial/satellite/cable?
• A presence on our or their distribution
  systems?

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1. More Choice

• 76 of Danish households alresdy have more than
  the three free-to-air TV channels (refusniks)
• DTT a weak alternative to satellite and cable
• More free-to-air TV
• Cheaper alternative to satellite, calbe and SMATV

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2 More quality

• Large, 169 flat screens and
• Multichannel audio weak drivers
• Quality drama still attracts large audiences

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2. More quality
Better programmes?
Even the 15-24 year olds will watch TV if
theres a programme or series they think is worth
watching 5 of the 10 most seen TV programmes in
the last 13 years were broadcast in
February-March 2004
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3. More flexibility

• Time-shifting and on-demand

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Watching TV when YOU want to - options
3. More flexibility
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3. More flexibility

• Time-shifting and on-demand
• Viewing TV anywhere

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Ultimately Anything, anytime, anywhereBill
Gates - ITU Conference, Geneva, October 1999
3. More flexibility
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4. More interactivity

• More participation
• More control
• Cross Media - designing public service across
  multiple platforms
• More opportunities for physical and virtual
  sharing

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More functionality
4. More interactivity
Rejseholdet kommer igen 2. juledag
All Subtitles if you want them -
DVB-text All Alternative commentaries
(football) Blind Alternative audio
channels Deaf Option of signing with important
programmes such as primetime news
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Better programme-synchronous services
4. More interactivity

• Links - just a click away on your remote
• Dong - on demand sports results
• Whos who? about persons in interviews

Source program-synchronised services Motoko
Hatarri, The Debute of Digital Television page
3, NHK Monthly Review June 2000
http//www.jri.co.jp/contents/english/index.html
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24/7 services independent of programmes
4. More interactivity

• News - text with illustrations
• Traffic advisories for your area
• Airline arrivals and departures

Source program-independent services Motoko
Hatarri, The Debute of Digital Television page
3, NHK Monthly Review June 2000
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Interactive TV-programmes
4. More interactivity

• Taking part in quizzes and votes
• (SMS and remote control)
• Cross media formats (eg. Boogie)

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Analogue still widespread

• More Choice
• Scenario
• More TV
• More Free-To-Air channels
• Electronic Programming Guide
• to find your way around
• so many channels

• More Flexibility
• Scenario
• Making your own channel
• Seeing what you want, when you
• want
• Finding your programmes
• Personalised programme guides
• Intelligent agent working for you
• Ultimately Anything, Anytime,
• Anywhere

No interaction
Significant interaction

• More Quality
• Scenario
• Improve the TV experience
• Bigger, 169 screens
• 5.1 audio
• Improved picture definition
• Subtitling
• Alternative audio tracks
• Links to related content
• Signing for deaf/hard-of-hearing
• 24/7 servicesnews, weather, traffic

• More Interactivity
• Scenario
• Taking control, taking part
• Taking part in shows
• Personalised news
• Tell me more documentaries
• Anything, anytime on a TV
• Multitasking - foreground/
• background media
• Sharing with peers
• while watching and playing

Digital Domination
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5. Terrestrial or a mix of terrestrial/satellite/c
able?

• Dilemmas
• The need to assure universal access versus the
  need to maintain PSB audience reach and share
  (legitimacy of funding model)
• DTT unlikely to have more than a small market
  share until Analogue Switch Off
• DTT as primary distribution or should PSBs go
  where our viewers choose to be?

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6. Ouror their distribution system?

• Dilemmas
• DTT is our system - is it just an issue of
  broadcasting or also public services? (DVB-T
  or also IP Datacast on DVB-H)
• Is there political legitimacy for Public Services
  on their systems? i.e. The Internet (narrow and
  broadband), mobile and wireless in the home and
  public areas

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Nordic PSBs work together on strategy
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Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3

Nordic PSBs work together on strategy
Broadcast radio TV (digital)
Broadcast Radio incl. DAB Television (analogue)


Broadcast Radio Television (analogue)
Broadcast radio TV (digital)
Data Broadcast Services (digital)
Danish VHF/UHF channels
Data Broadcast Services (digital)
HDTV (digital)
Analog Broadcast Services
Analog Broadcast Services
Now Simulcasting Digital
broadcasting only 2004
DSO 2005 ASO
2008-2013??? 2030

• Working together prepares us better to discuss
  the issues
• associated with the equitable sharing of
  frequencies

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What have we learned?

• We have more in common than we are different.
• Collaboration on strategy and policy gives better
  coverage and awareness of the issues than in one
  country alone.
• A problem shared is a problem halved!

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Baltic collaboration?

• Thank you!

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Contact details

• Peter Olaf Looms
• DR Interactive
• DR/Danmarks Radio
• TV-Byen
• DK-2860 Søborg
• poo_at_dr.dk
• Mobile [phone]