Digital Broadcasting decisions and announcements

Since 2006, the government has made a number of decisions relating to the transition from analogue to digital television broadcasting. The various decisions and related papers are described below under these four headings:

Decisions supporting the launch of free to air television

On 15 June 2006, the government announced decisions paving the way for the launch of free-to-air digital television in New Zealand in 2007, thus beginning a 6-10 year transition towards an eventual switch-off of analogue signals. At the same time, a cost-benefit report by Spectrum Strategy Consultants on the launch of digital free-to-air television in New Zealand was released.

Support is to be provided for a combination satellite and digital terrestrial transmission system, managed by BCL and delivered by a consortium of broadcasters known as Freeview.  Government support will be in the form of funding for the Freeview transmission platform over five years, and an allocation of digital terrestrial spectrum without charge during the transition to analogue switch-off. These offers were confirmed and licence renewal policies extended by further Cabinet decisions taken in October 2006.

On 14 November 2006 the government announced its decision to support two new TVNZ digital channels (known as TVNZ6 and TVNZ7) with total funding of $79 million to be allocated over the next six years.  TVNZ6 began transmission in October 2007, following the launch that May of the Freeview platform on DTH (direct to home transmission; i.e. from satellite to dish).  TVNZ7 launched in March 2008.  On 2 April 2008, Freeview introduced its HD (high definition) capable digital service. 

For more information on Freeview, see www.freeviewnz.tv.  For more information on TVNZ’s digital services, see www.tvnz.co.nz.

Recent Cabinet papers

The five recent Cabinet papers relating to digital television (including the rationale for government involvement) are available below, as well as both the full Cost-Benefit report and its Executive Summary.

Please let us know if you have any problems accessing these pdf documents.

The Table of contents and Executive summary for the cost-benefit report are also available in html:

Full table of contents of cost-benefit report (html version)

Executive Summary of cost-benefit report (html version):

Related media releases

Process and Policy for the Transition to Analogue Switch-Off

In May 2006, Cabinet agreed that switching off analogue signals after a period of transition was an objective of the policy of the move to free-to-air digital television.  A discussion paper on analogue switch-off was released for consultation in December 2006.  This process was managed jointly by the Ministry for Culture and Heritage, and the Ministry of Economic Development.  (A table summarising the submissions is available, and this incorporates the emailed responses. Copies of submissions received are also available, except where submitters requested confidentiality or where responses were made in an email only [without attachment]).

Following further meetings with interested parties, officials reported back to Ministers on the outcome of the consultation in April 2007, and the Ministers of Broadcasting and Communications and Information Technology approved an ‘in principle’ approach to managing analogue switch-off.  This approach was published in May 2007.  In October 2007, Cabinet confirmed this approach and made a number of decisions to support the transition to free-to-air digital television, with the objective of eventually switching off analogue transmission signals. 

At the Digital Future Summit in Auckland, the Minister of Broadcasting announced that a final date for analogue switch-off will be announced in 2012, or when digital television is available in 75% of New Zealand households - whichever happens first.

A steering group made up of industry and government representatives will be formed to manage the transition, ensure there is good public information, and address issues of consumer interest before the final switch-off.

The Cabinet paper below identifies clear objectives for the achievement of analogue switch-off. These include the realisation of a ‘digital dividend’ to government through the release of spectrum currently used for analogue transmission. The paper also identifies some aspects of spectrum policy – determined prior to the May 2006 decisions on digital television – which now need to be reviewed in order to ensure their application is consistent with the agreed analogue switch-off objectives.

Review of Regulation

The transition from analogue to digital television represents a significant change to broadcasting infrastructure and alters the competitive relationship amongst free-to-air broadcasters, and between pay and free-to-air operators. A significant feature of the emerging media environment is the opportunity for convergence between broadcasting, telecommunications (fixed and mobile) and the internet. Cabinet authorised a review of the current arrangements for the regulation of broadcasting, to ensure they remained appropriate to this new environment.  The terms of reference for the review of regulation were published in May 2007. 

The review was initiated using a combination of research and a discussion paper for stakeholder consultation, and is being managed jointly by the Ministry for Culture and Heritage and the Ministry of Economic Development. It takes broadcasting policy as its starting point, but also considers the implications of convergence for regulatory policy. The review addresses issues under the broad headings of competition, standards and copyright, and at three main stages of the value chain: content, distribution and networks.

Two papers were released for public consultation on 23 January 2008: 
Digital Broadcasting: Review of Regulation consists of the research report described above (Volume One) and an accompanying discussion paper (Volume Two). This covers a range of topics relating to regulation, including: the regulatory framework, content, distribution and networks. 

Broadcasting and New Digital Media: Future of Content Regulation, the second, related, paper was prepared by the Ministry for Culture and Heritage. It focuses in more detail on the broadcasting standards regime, and how that might change to accommodate developments in broadcasting and related fields. 

The deadline for submissions on both discussion papers was 4 April 2008.
Between 5-11 March, a series of public workshops were held to promote discussion and facilitate responses to the discussion documents.

Submission documents:

The submissions process has been completed and the following documents are now available:

The Minister of Broadcasting and the Minister for Communications and Information Technology will report back to Cabinet by 31 July 2008 on the outcome of the public consultation and with their recommendations.
The discussion papers note that, should the review result in any proposals for change to the regulatory regime, there will be a further process of public consultation.

Related documents:

Digital Television strategy

In December 2006, Cabinet approved for publication a paper collating and summarising the government’s full digital television strategy. The strategy references earlier decisions, including the public broadcasting Programme of Action (December 2004), digital television decisions taken by Cabinet in August 2003, and the series of 2006 Cabinet papers dealing with digital television platform and content issues already published on this website. A copy of the Digital Television Strategy is available below:

 

See also:

 
 

 


 

Page last updated: May 20, 2008

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