UK’s Five loses HD DTT capacity

UK free-to-air broadcaster Five has failed to resolve the issues that would have guaranteed it space on the relevant digital terrestrial multiplex for a high definition service. The capacity, on multiplex B, will now be available for UK public broadcaster the BBC to use.

Communications regulator Ofcom was seeking certain guarantees from Five before reserving it space on multiplex B. However, the RTL-owned broadcaster was unable to resolve the outstanding issues.

Five’s fellow free-to-air broadcasters Channel 4 and Welsh-language service S4C had also applied for space to be reserved on the multiplex so that they could launch HD services.

Ofcom said that, in both cases, the broadcasters had failed to provide guarantees that they could launch services within the required timeframe. The BBC is now considering how to best use the capacity.