Freeview
Freeview, the free-to-air digital terrestrial service is already celebrating its first year in the business. Freeview now has more than two million households and has access to about 50 TV channels, ranging from News to documentaries and entertainment.

According to a twice yearly report by Continental Research on Digital TV take up, less than half of Freeview users are new to digital TV. About 900,000 also have subscription to BskyB or Cable TV and use Freeview for second and third TV sets. The reports also indicate that Freeview is attracting older customers who previously have rejected multi-channel TV.

Freeview have also launched a SMS text service to allow for quick and easy checking of coverage availability. Installers and customers can simply text their postcode to 83331. Within 20 seconds, a response will be sent back outlining whether coverage is available in that area and if the aerial needs to be checked to ensure good digital reception. Further information can be accessed online via the Freeview website at www.freeview.co.uk or the consumer advice line on 08708 80 99 80.

Top-Up TV
From as early as March 2004, a new pay-TV service will be available on Digital Terrestrial Television. Distinct from no-subscription Freeview broadcasts, Top-Up TV will offer viewers around 11 channels of programming for less than £10 a month. Top-Up TV is targetted initially at those viewers who are watching DTT broadcasts on already sold ONdigital/ITV Digital boxes, of which there are believed to be about half a million throughout the country. This compares to a figure of the nearly three million receivers that are capable of picking up Freeview broadcasts.

The channel line up, and the relatively small potential audience for Top-Up
TV, suggests that it will not be marketed as an alternative to Freeview, but as an additional choice for those homes. The new company is run by Matthew Seaman, ex-Freeview, and David Chance and Ian West, both previously with BSkyB. Clearly the Freeview success story is creating interest in the whole concept of DTT. As the fastest consumer technology to get into 10% of UK homes, Freeview has quickly created a platform that companies like Top-Up TV can expand upon. And it brings the government's target date of "somewhere between" 2006 and 2010 for analogue switch of terrestrial signals off that much closer.

So what business prospects does this create for the Rigger? Intially, it may be worth contacting homes where ONdigital or ITV Digital was previously in use. There may an old DTT receiver that has been gathering dust in a cupboard that could get a new lease of life. The availability of 50 Freeview and now 11 Top-Up TV channels may be enough to spark the interest of the viewer to have the box re-installed. Unfortunately, no currently manufactured DTT receivers are capable of picking up Top-Up TV, so it may be a while before manufacturers reverse the policies of the last year that stripped down boxes to the bare minimum of features and start include a card reader.

Watch this space…
Disney launched a new daytime entertainment channel on Freeview at the end of 2004. The new channel broadcasts on Freeview covering a mixture of comedy, soaps, drama and sports previously not shown on British TV.

ITV has also revealed plans for a family of digital channels. There will be new stations called ITV Kids and ITV3, aiming at more upmarket viewers and will compete with BBC4 and Channel 4.

Freeview also launched another new station in September 2003. To celebrate its 10th birthday, Mojo music magazine went on air. Mojo radio reflects different music tastes of a smooth blend of class rock, soul, punk and reggae and is designed to appeal to the growing digital radio audience