Communal antenna upgrade at 61.8%
Sixty one point eight percentage of the 65,000 communal antenna systems needing to be up dated for DTT have been updated according to figures from Impulsa TDT.
The Impulsa figures also show that around 6.7 million homes already get DTT signals, amounting to a population total of 9 million and an audience share of 18.3%.
Sales of DTT boxes during September were 546,000 bringing the total of DTT receivers sold to 13 million.
Impulsa expects this figure to reach 15 million by the end of 2009 when DTT penetration should have reached 40 %.
Source: El Mundo
Item added: 17th November 2008



New ITV association
ADETI is the name of a new Spanish association for the promotion and extension of digital interactive TV in Spain reports Rapid TV News.
The goal of the association is to promote interactive TV in whatever form it reaches the Spanish audience, be it DTT, Satellite, Cable or Internet.
The association is being promoted by network operator Abertis Telecom, Activa Multimedia, Informatica El Corte Ingles, Indra, maat Gknowledge, magic Box, Miranda, SDI Digital and T-Mira.
Source: Rapid TV News
Item added: 17th November 2008

TDT Impulsa guarantees digital coverage before ASO
Eladio Gutiérrez, the head of the Impulsa TDT, the Spanish DTT promotions organisation, has said that the coverage of the DTT platform is guaranteed before the analogue service is switched off in 2010. However he also acknowledged that much work is needed before the analogue switch off can take place.
Many community antenna systems need to be converted to DTT and the coverage of the new service must be increased from 89% of the population to 96%.
Source: Expansion
Item added: 11th November 2008



UTECA asks for TDT public channels cut
UTECA the association of commercial broadcasters in Spain has called on the government to cut the number of available public channels in half to allow commercial DTT broadcasters to compete.
As well as requesting this and other measures to allow them to fairly compete with the public service broadcasters they are also asking that the requirement for them to provide coverage to 96% of the population be dropped to 90% with the government picking up the cost for the last 6%.
Source: El Mundo
Item added: 11th November 2008

DTT sales reach 12.4 million
According to the latest report form Impulsa TDT, 12.4 million DTT receiving devices have been sold in Spain. The report goes on to say that 7.7 million people watch DTT which amounts to a 17.4% market share. More than 6 million homes now have access to DTT which is a 38.8 % average penetration. In some regions like Madrid and Catalonia DTT penetration is over 50%.
In all DTT coverage is said to reach 89.15% of the population.
Although DTT progress has been good the national DTT plan is for 1,287 towns in 36 provinces , with 5 million people,  to switch off analogue transmissions by June 2009 and more provinces making the total 15 million switching by  December 2009. The Pro DTT association Impulsa TDT has asked all involved parties to raise public awarness of the switch over so that more of the population make the switch much more quickly in order to meet the aggressive deadlines.
Source: Advanced Television.com
Item added: 13th October 2008



37.4% of homes have DTT
According to information released by Estatistics National Instituto (INE) 37.4% of Spanish homes now have a DTT receivers. Of these 32.4% are integrated coder TV’s.
Figures in the report list the percentage of Spanish homes having TV sets at 99.7% of which 21.4% receive their programs from satellite, 15% from cable and 4.6% using DSL or the telephone network.
Source: Rapid TV News
Item added: 6th October 2008



Satellite DTH to be used to complete DTT coverage
Geographical problems and signal interference from illegal TV channels are given as reasons for the Ministry of Industry starting a study on the use of satellite transmissions to complete Spain’s DTT coverage. Broadcasters who are committed to meeting coverage targets are hoping that the Government will pick up any additional cost needed to provide the fill in satellite coverage.
By April 2010, private TV must make their DTT transmissions available to 96% of the population, with public channels reaching 98%.
Recent figures from Impulsa TDT put DTT coverage at 89.15% and by the end of December 2008 at 90%. This will further increase to 93% by July 2009.
Source: Advanced Television.com
Item added: 23rd September 2008



Pay DTT debate continues
Despite earlier announcements in August, that the government had not plans for Pay-DTT in the near future, it looks like this stance has now been modified.
In a recent statement by the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Commerce, Miguel Sebastian, the position of the government has been further refined.
He said that the launch of Pay-DTT services would require a consensus amongst broadcasters and that he thought this could be achieved during 2009. However he saw no need for urgency to resolve this issue and further emphasised how important it was to have many free to view programmes available on the DTT platform.
Source: El País
Item added: 9th September 2008



Half Spanish buildings DTT ready
The latest figures from consulting company TN Sofres say that 58.2% of Spanish buildings are now adapted for DTT, reports Rapid TV News.
Many TV households in Spain obtain their TV through communal systems and although the conversion is clearly going well it is said that the four million buildings still to be adapted are old and conversion to digital TV may be a little more complex than those already completed.
The sales of DTT boxes during July and August were exceptional reaching 637,000 units in July, up from the 458,000 units sold in June.
Analogue switch off is set for April 3rd, 2010.
Source: Rapid TV News
Item added: 9th September 2008




DTT population coverage now 89%
According to Impulsa TDT 89.15% of the Spanish population are now covered by DTT signals. The latest Impulsa figures where compiled for the DTT operator Abertis Telecom who had to reach 88% of the population by the 31st July.
Coverage has to continue expanding, reaching 90% of the population by the 31st December 2008, 93% by the 31st July 2009 and 98% with public service broadcasts by the time of the complete analogue switch over on the 3rd April 2009.
At analogue switch off commercial broadcasts must also be available to 96% of the population.
Since the launch of DTT services 11.2 million DTT decoders/DTT TV’s have been sold raising the DTT audience TV viewing share to 16%.
Source: Impulsa TDT
Item added: 22nd August 2008




Pay-DTT less likely
The deputy Prime Minister, Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega, has announced that the government has "no plans" to allow for the launch of pay-DTT services.
Previously, the government had stated that it would require consensus from DTT service operators before changing the law to allow for the launch of pay-DTT services.
Despite some reluctance on Pay TV by some operators others had been going ahead and announcing plans for new services. These are now on hold indefinitely.
Source: El Pais
Item added: 11th August 2008


RTVE to get 2 Mux’s after ASO
As widely expected the public broadcaster RTVE will be allocated 2 DTT multiplexes after Analogue Switch Off in 2010. Services will include those already available on the DTT platform, namely TVE 1, TVE 2, Canal 24 Horas, Clan TVE and Teledeporte. Later a new channel TVE International, not currently available, will be added.
RTVE also expect to develop two new HD services known as TV HD and Canal Cultura, which is expected to be ready for broadcast in 2009.
Source: El Mundo
Item added: 11th August 2008


Full DTT coverage in Catalonia by July 2009
At present 50% of the Catalan population have access to DTT services.
Coverage will be extended to 80% of the population by the end of the year and to all residents by July 2009.
Nationwide DTT coverage in Spain is currently running at around 88%.
Source: El País
Item added: 4th August 2008


Spain allocate €8.7 million for switch over
The government has allocated €8.7 million to fund 32 analogue switch-off projects according to Rapid TV News.
Analogue switch-off will eventually take place through 90 nationwide projects across three different types of geographical areas and based upon the size of the population.
Analogue switch-off is planned for completion by the 3rd April 2010.
Source: Rapid TV News
Item added: 4th August 2008



Soria completes Analogue Switch Off
Digital switchover was completed in Soria on the 23rd July making it the first Spanish region to go completely digital. To prepare the 51,000 inhabitants of the region for the change an extensive communication campaign took place, with a dedicated website, coverage maps, an information centre, brochures and television advertisements.
The government also provided funding of €1 million to help viewers with the purchase of DTT receivers and the conversion of collective antenna systems.
It is estimated that, by the time of the switchover, 96.6% of households were prepared for the analogue switch off.
Source: El Pais
Item added: 28th July 2008


RTVE plans for DTT HDTV
Public service broadcaster, Radio TeleVision  Espanola, (RTVE), has announced plans for new services according to Rapid TV News.
RTVE are working on two new projects, one a new cultural channel and the other an HDTV channel.
The two new channels will be ready in 2010 when the analogue switchover takes place. At that time RTVE will have two multiplexes with the possible potential of 6-8 HD channels.
Main source: Rapid TV News
Item added: 15th July 2008


10.8 million DTT receivers sold
The last six months of 2008 have seen the greatest growth of DTT since its re-launch in 2005.
In the first five months of 2008, 2.7 million DTT receivers were sold, amounting to 24.7% of the total of 10.8 million DTT tuners in the country.
DTT had a viewing audience of 14.9% at the end of June.
Source: Impulsa TDT
Item added: 15th July 2008




Pay-DTT debate continues
Whilst Telecino has softened its position on the launch of pay-DTT services, Antena 3’s chief executive Silvio Gonzalez has criticised the Spanish governments delay in deciding whether or not to legalise a pay-TVservice on the countries DTT platform.
Both are responding to the government’s request for comments on the issue.
Initially Telecino had called for a five-year wait before the introduction of pay-DTT services but is now said to recognise that there could be benefits to a pay-DTT business model.
Meanwhile Francisco Ros, Telecommunications State secretary said the government was in no hurry over changes to the law that would allow pay-TV on the DTT platform.
Sources: Rapid TV News and Rapid TV News
Item added: 8th July 2008



Project to develop interactive DTT
Spain’s Association of Electronic, Telecommunications and Information Technologies (AETIC) has presented a programme called i-LAB, testing interactive services on DTT based on the MHP standard.
Source: Rapid TV News
Item added: 26th June 2008



Government calls for improved content on DTT platform
The government has made known that it finds the current quality of content on the DTT platform to be insufficient according to an item published on the advanced-television.com website. The article goes on to say that the government is calling on broadcasters to improve their offer or risk facing legal action.
Already, 10 million DTT receivers have been sold and services are available to 85% of the population.
Source: advanced-television.com
Item added: 16th June 2008



Spain and Italy join forces to promote DTT
The Spanish and Italian Pro DTT Associations, Impulsa TDT and DGTVi, have signed an agreement to promote the digital migration in both countries and to seek a common strategy on the development of DTT in Europe, according to advanced-television.com
The presidents of Impulsa TDT, Eladio Gutierrez, and the DGTVi, Andrea Ambrogetti, agreed this cooperation in Lucca, Italy, during the European DTT Forum.
The agreement is also aimed at avoiding the sale of TV sets without DTT ready identification and to promote the use of DTT-based technologies in Europe.
Source: advanced-television.com
Item added: 10th June 2008



Freed spectrum reserved for broadcasters
The Ministry of Industry has revealed that it is unlikely that the spectrum freed by the switch to digital TV will be available for non-broadcast services following analogue switch-off.
According to Francisco Ros, General Secretary for Telecommunications, the frequencies made available from the analogue switch-off will be needed to provide television services, for regional, local and new broadcasters.
This means that there are not enough frequencies available to be released to telecom operators.
Spanish law requires that all existing analogue television services receive a DTT licence. In many cases these broadcasters have been allocated two digital service slots.
Source: Rapid TV News
Item added: 10th June 2008




DTT beats cable TV
Cable TV is being beaten by DTT for the first time in Spain according to reports attributed to consultancy firm Barlovento Comunicacion. DTT had 13.8% of the audience share in May against 13% for cable.
In Spain, more than 32 per cent of homes have DTT, 46% in Madrid and 41% in Canary Islands, which has the highest penetration.
Analogue FTA share has also fallen from 68.2 per cent the previous month to 67.4%.
Satellite TV only has a 5.6% share.
Source: advanced-television.com
Item added: 3rd June 2008



Retailers liable for analogue only TV sets sold
The minister of Health and Consumers has put the responsibility for informing customers that a TV set being sold would not be able to receive DTT signals, on the retailer. He went on to say that retailers who miss-informed customers would be prosecuted.
So far, 10 million DTT receivers have been sold in Spain, with 33 per cent of the population already watching DTT, an average audience share of 14 per cent.
Source: advanced-television.com
Item added: 2nd June 2008



88% population coverage by August
According to the broadcast network operator Abertis Telecom, DTT services will reach 88% of the population by August 2008, a 2% increase on current 86% coverage figures.
By analogue switch-off in 2010, DTT services should be available to 96% of households.
Sales for DTT receivers have been strong with a total of 427,000 receivers sold in March.
Source: Europa Press
Item added: 2nd June 2008



Minister confirms 2010 switchover
The new Minister of Industry, Miguel Sebastian, has confirmed Spain’s present digital switchover plans and that the analogue switch off date is still the 3rd April 2010.
As previously planned the first analogue switch-off pilot will take place in the province of Soria on the 23rd July. The trial will involve 18,000 households and subsidies will be available towards the purchase of antennas and MHP-enabled Set Top Boxes.
Source: advanced-television.com
Item added: 27th May 2008


DTT penetration reaches 31.8%
The latest Impulsatdt May report says that 1,412,000 additional homes have converted to receive DTT in the last three months, according to figures form EGM (Estudio General de Medios). DTT penetration has now reached 31.8% of the population (32.1% according to Sofres April figures), which amounts to 5 million homes. By the end of the same period DTT tuner sales passed the 9.7 million mark.
Clicking on the following source link can access the full “Monthly Report Extract” in English.
Source: impulsatdt May08 monthly report
Item added: 20th May 2008



Demands for ASO delay
Spain’s largest TV group, Sogecable, has asked the Spanish Government to postpone the analogue switch-off according to advanced-television.com.
The reason given for postponing the April 3, 2010 date is the “inability” of the market to meet the deadline.
The CEO of the cablegroup hinted that Spaniards are uninterested in DTT justifying this by saying that DTT penetration was only 30% whilst actual coverage was 85%. He also criticised the regulatory lack of clarity as to whether certain pay-TV services will be allowed to be distributed through the DTT network or not. Both Sogecable and Mediaset-controlled Tele 5 have already rejected this possibility.
Main source: advanced-television.com
Item added: 12th May 2008



DTT interactivity on PC
Spanish group CITIC (Centro Andaluz de Innovación y Tecnologías de la Información y las Comunicaciones) is designing a unit to give personal PC’s the same functionality as a DTT receiver. Unlike other systems in the marketplace the unit will have interactivity allowing it to both send video and audio.
The prototype study is titled “Study, Design and Implementation of a prototype of DTT with return channel interactivity”
Users will have almost the same functionality as a PC on their DTT TV and all using a simple remote control.
MHP is being used as operating software. For more information see the website: http://www.citic.es/
Main source: Rapid TV News
Item added: 6th May 2008



DTT service for Mediapro
Content provider Mediapro is planning to launch a pay to view football service on various delivery platforms including DTT.
The new service will offer four, weekly football matches from the First Division league and cost €1/per match.
Before it can be launched on the DTT platform approval from the Government will be needed.
Source: Rapid TV News
Item added: 15th April 2008




Analogue switch of ramps up
By December 31st 2009, 32% of the population will need to be watching TV from the DTT platform as their analogue services will already have been progressively switched off, according to figures from ImpulsaTDT.
At the end of 2009 Impulsa estimates that 14.5 million people will have access to a terrestrial digital TV service only.
The first main cities making the switch to DTT are Zarazona, Oviedo, Segovia, Vitoria, Huelva and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
By the end of July 2009, 1278 towns will have made the switch to DTT, many in the region of Castilla y Léon, over 100 in Andalucia, Aragón and Castilla-La Mancha as well as many other towns in the rest of the regions.
Rapid TV News reports that recent figures indicate that more than 6 million receivers have been sold and DTV viewing has 11.5% of the market.
Source: Rapid TV News
Item added: 8th April 2008

Spain to test HD on DTT
The Spanish HD Forum will undertake more HD test on the Spanish digital terrestrial network according to Broadband TV News.
Both 720p50 and 1080i25 will be broadcast in simulcast to determine the best and most efficient format. The HD Forum was formed last year by the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Commerce and is open to any party interested in promoting HD in the country.
Source: advanced-television.com
Item added: 1st April 2008



DTT in 29.2% of Spanish households
The latest report from the Spanish TV association, Impulsatdt says that 29.2% of the 15 million TV households in Spain already have access to DTT programming.
The sale of 1.37 million DTT tuners before Christmas brought the total number DTT tuners/ receivers sold since March 2003 to 8.81 million. It goes on to say that 5.7 million people watch DTT programming each day, which together with the daily average 1.5 hours of TV viewing equates to an audience share of 11.5%.
Madrid, Valencia, Canaries Islands and Catalonia are the regions where DTT is most widely watched. More than 40 per cent of homes in Madrid are connected to DTT, followed by the Canaries with 38.5 per cent, Catalonia, with 33.9 per cent and Murcia, with 29.9 per cent.
Sources: advanced-television.com and Impulsatdt
Item added: 23rd March 2008

Spain likes Mobile TV
Spanish users, with Mobile TV enabled handsets, spend 20-40 minutes a day watching TV on the current 3G services according to a report attributed to Abertis Telecom.
Users spent an average of €6 a month on their 3G service, a service which is said to give lower quality pictures than are expected to be available from future DVB-H offerings.
Rapid TV News reports that mobile TV hasn't developed as expected in Spain because the Telco’s haven't invested sufficiently in 3G networks. The DVB-H broadcasting option (that is the proposed free option) could solve this problem because it means direct transmissions from the operators to users handsets. Critical to this method is agreement being reached among broadcasters, TV channels, mobile operators and manufacturers.
Source: Rapid TV News
Item added: 26th February 2008


DVB-H launch expected in 2010
Although it was expected that the start of a DVB-H service would take place after the general elections in March, Advanced-Television.com reports that this may not actually occur until 2010.
Minister of Industry Joan Clos, said “ We hope that the regulation of the market is completed this year, to pave the way for the development of the industry and make the services become a commercial reality in 2010”, according to the report.
The minister also told Advanced-Television.com that initially the DVB-H service would have 20 TV channels and that the launch would coincide with the analogue switch off.
Currently the analogue switch of date is the 3rd April 2010.
Source: advanced-television.com
Item added: 19th February 2008



8 million DTT receivers sold by 2007 close
By the end of 2007, a total of 8 million DTT receivers had been sold in Spain according to figures published by Impulsatdt. Many viewers are in apartment blocks with collective antenna systems and already 51.7% have been converted for DTT.
The sale of receivers with integrated DTT tuners totalled 62% of all devices sold, up from the figure for 2006 of 26%.
DTT viewers made up 10.5% of total television viewing in Spain and reached 5 million daily viewers, on average.
By the close of January 2008, Sofres estimates that DTT penetration reached 28% of households.
Source: ImpulsaTDT Feb.08 summary
Item added: 19th February 2008

Impulsa will back Pay-DTT if required
Eladio Gutiérrez, RTVE Digital’s director and new president of Spanish DTT association Impulsa TDT, says he personally supports pay-per-view on DTT according to reports from Rapid TV News.
His support adds weight to the growing number of companies who wish to have Pay-TV services on the DTT platform.
However in his role as Impulsa TDT’s president he made clear that if Impulsa’s members want to back Pay-TV services then he will also sign up to it but that the decision is up to them and not him.
Some legal experts think that although the position with respect to Pay-TV is not clearly stated in the current DTT law it allows the possibility of Pay-TV services on the DTT platform but that a government resolution might be needed to authorise such a service.
Guttérrez is further quoted as saying “ In any case I think this subject should be studied by the new government after the general elections on March 9th”
Source: Rapid TV News
Item added: 5th February 2008


ONO complains about Pay-TV being allowed on DTT
Cable service provider ONO has complained about the possible distribution of Pay-TV services on the DTT platform reports advanced-television.com.
The president Eugenio Galdon said that ONO will demand that the government holds new public tenders to re-award the DTT licences, arguing that the current model approved by government does not allow the distribution pay-per-view services.
Should the licence terms change, ONO would call on the government to re-issue the invitation to tender for the DTT licences.
Several pay-DTT trials have already taken place in Spain.
Source: advanced-television.com
Item added: 29th January 2008



Local Analogue Switch off delayed
Although Spain’s DTT law required all local TV stations to have switched to digital broadcasting by January 1st, many still have to do so.
Despite the law many regional governments have not even invited broadcasters to tender for digital licences.
Francisco Pérez president of G-9, a group representing local broadcasters says that the Technical Plan which requires analogue switch-off to begin with local broadcasters is discriminatory.
Analogue switch-off of national channels is set for the 3rd April 2010.
Source: Rapid TV News
Item added: 22nd January 2008


Over 7.4 million DTT receivers sold
Figures issued before the end of December show that 7.4 million DTT receivers had been sold in Spain equating to DTT access in almost one in four of Spanish homes. By the end of December it was estimated that the number of units sold would have exceeded 8 million. Although large numbers of receivers have been sold the recent figures show that only 4.6 million of these viewers are currently watching DTT programmes once a day, a market share of 9.5%.
Source: Impulsa TDT and  Rapid TV News
Item added: 22nd January 2008



More supporters for Pay-TV in Spain
More and more companies are supporting the use of Pay-TV in Spain, reports Rapid TV.
Sogecable and Grupo Planeta’s, Antenna 3 have joined Dahlia TV, Mediapro, Sidsa and the Government who are also said to have taken sides in favour of Pay-TV on the DTT platform.
Antenna 3’s general manager Maurizio Carlotti is reported to have said recently; that he did not see any reason why Spanish DTT shouldn't also be pay because according to him the DTT business model could not support itself solely through an in-the-clear model. "The DTT incomes must come from the families," he stated.
Source: Rapid TV News
Item added: 11th December 2007


DVB-H implementation delayed
The launch of DVB-H mobile TV in Spain is reported to be on hold until after the general elections in March 2008. This is because the legal framework for its introduction failed to be approved by the current administration. It is now expected that the introduction of mobile TV in Spain will be delayed until the end of 2008 or the beginning of 2009.
Source: advanced-television.com
Item added: 27th November 2007

Eladio Gutierrez new head of Impulsa TDT
The new head of Impulsa TDT, the organisation responsible for promoting DTT in Spain, is Eladio Gutierrez. He comes from the public service broadcaster RTVE where he was head of digital for RTVE and replaces the previous incumbent Jaime Castellanos, the president of DTT services for Veo Television.
Source: La Flecha   (thanks to Digitag for the link)
Item added: 27th November 2007

Planeta worried about DTT transition
Grupo Planeta, the Spanish editorial group and Antena 3 TV’s main shareholder are worried about the direction of the new digital television market.
Planeta’s president José Manuel Lara is pessimistic over DTT viability and the designated switch over date of April 3, 2010.
Grupo Planeta previously burnt its fingers when it launched Quireo TV eight years ago. The DTT pay-TV venture failed, leaving Planeta with a big financial loss.
Rapid TV reports Lara as commenting that cities like Barcelona will soon have around 55 channels and that this is far too many to be financed by advertising which makes viable business models difficult.
Planeta proposes a change in the law, which allows many companies in the audiovisual field to broadcast using a free-to-view or pay-TV formula according to the preferences of each broadcaster.
José Manuel Lara also asked the government to change the law so the same audiovisual company can have stakes in different channels.
Source: Rapid TV News
Item added: 20th November 2007


6 million Euro DTT promotions campaign
The Ministry of Industry and the DTT promotions organisation, Impulsa TDT, have decided to jointly fund a 6 million Euro DTT advertising campaign.
The campaign will include advertisement, public relations activities, and marketing with the aim of promoting DTT services during the Christmas 2007 season.
Source: Cinco Días , translated summary thanks to DigiTag
Item added: 14th November 2007


EC approves subsidies for switchover in Soria
The European Commission is to allow the proposed switchover subsidy for the Soria region, which will become the first region in Spain to end analogue transmission when it does so in 2008.
The Spanish government will make 1 million Euros available to help finance 700,000 digital receivers and the conversion of 300,000 collective antennas. Each of the 10,000 inhabitants of Soria can apply for a 60 Euro grant to help towards the purchase of a digital receiver and 15 Euro towards its installation. The receiver can be for either terrestrial, cable or satellite platforms.
Source: EU Commission
Item added: 14th November 2007


Dahlia TV formed to launch pay-DTT services
A new company Dahlia TV has been formed to launch pay-TV services on the DTT platform in Spain. Dahlia TV claims to have reached agreement with some of the major networks in the country and hopes that the government will grant them four digital channels with the right to carry pay-TV.
Dahlia plans to reach the 75% of Spanish homes, which don’t at present have access to pay-TV services.
Source: advanced-television.com
Item added: 14th November 2007

Impulsa TDT reports 4.2 million daily DTT viewers
According to the latest figures for October from Impulsa DTT, the official association for the promotion and implementation of Spanish DTT, 4.2 million viewers watched DTT on average, every day. This accounts for 8.3% of TV viewing.
At the end of September 6.5 million DTT tuners had been sold and if marketing plans are successful this will increase to 9 million by the end of the year.
During September 372,300 DTT terminals were sold, 163,400 of which were integrated in televisions, 153,000 were external decoders and 56,000 were in DVD players with integrated DTT receivers and internal/external PC cards.
Main source: Rapid TV News
Item added: 14th November 2007



DTT receivers to total 7 million by year end
Rapid TV News reports that an estimated 7 million DTT receivers will have been sold in Spain by the end of 2007.
It goes on to say that 6.3 million units have been sold already and that full DTT coverage will be achieved in two years while analogue switch-off will be completed by April 3rd 2010.
In addition 45% of buildings with communal aerial systems have now had their aerials adapted to receive DTT services.
Source: Rapid TV News
Item added: 7th November 2007

DTT Pay-Per-View trial to go ahead
Six companies have joined forces to launch a pay-per-view trial on DTT platform in the Spanish village of Alcázar de San Juan according to Broadcast TV News.
The planned service, which will introduce pre-paid pay-per-view content, including football events and movies, will be extended to other parts of the country next year.
This is one of the first pay-TV initiatives on the now successful DTT platform in Spain and forms part of the project called “DTT Digital Alcázar”, the first manifestation in the South of Europe of “DTT digital island”, promoted by the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Commerce, the Junta de Comunidades of Castilla La Mancha and the local operator and town. Also taking part are the technology company SIDSA, electronic manufacturer Siemens-InOutTV and consultancy firm SDIdigital.
Viewers will be able to buy events by sending a text message to a phone number that appears on advertising for the events. Within 10 seconds the set-top box of the customer will be activated with an over-the-air signal. With this technology, the companies plan to launch a wide selection of sports and premium pay-per-view events for the 2008-2008 season.
Source: Broadband TV News
Item added: 23rd October 2007

Pay-TV interest grows
Abertis is reported to be leading a project with other DTT broadcasters, for the development of a DTT set-top box, which will allow access to premium channels on a Pay to view basis.
Abertis is said to be in negotiations with manufacturers to agree a specification for the DTT receiver.
In a separate report from Rapid TV, the encryption service likely to be used for the Pay-TV service is said to be KeyFly, which is a conditional access solution developed by Sidsa and already used on some Hispasat feeds.
At present legislation prevents the use of encryption, but the government is now said to be in favour of the introduction of pay service and the amending of the regulations necessary for it to become legal.
Sources:  advanced-television.com  and Rapid TV News
Item added: 16th October 2007

Over 6 million DTT receivers in Spain
Figures released by DTT organisation Impulsa TDT show that another 330,000 DTT receivers were sold in September. This brings the total sold since the launch of DTT services to 6,111,859. A breakdown of the September figures show that 45.87% of the units sold were IDTV’s and 38.76% were STB’s. MHP enabled equipments made up 2% of sales.
Source: advanced-television.com
Item added: 9th October 2007

Ministry allocates €19.3 million to help DTT introduction
The Spanish Ministry for Industry has allocated €19.3 million to speed up DTT implementation in Spain. This is in addition to the €1.7 billion allocated in the 2008 budget for the promotion of telecommunications and the "Information Society".
Commercial broadcaster would like the government to invest even more money as they believe that digitising even a single existing channel will cost €150 million. This takes into account the provision of additional content as well as extending coverage.
Analogue switch-off is set to commence in 2008 and be completed in April 2010.
Main source: Rapid TV News
Item added: 9th October 2007

First HD DTT channel in Spain
An Interactive HD Consortium (Alta Definicion Interactiva 2006) is launching the first HD DTT channel in Spain, reports advanced-television.com
The test transmissions from Campus HD will be receivable through HD/MHP enabled STB’s on UHF channel 56 in the ‘University City of Madrid’
The initiative is supported by a Consortium of High tech companies, called Interactive High Definition (Alta Definicion Interactiva), sponsored by the Ministry of Industry, co-ordinated by Telefonica Servicios Audiovisuales and shared by Astra, Hispasat, Fresh-IT, hyc, RTVE, Sogecable and Televes.
It is the first time that Spain has trialled an HD DTT channel aimed at testing and proving its capability and that of the latest encryption TV standards
Source: advanced-television.com (David Del Valle)
Item added: 2nd October 2007

Mobile operators want DVB-H rules
Spanish mobile TV operators Telefónica's Movistar, France Telecom's Orange, Vodafone and Yoigo want to establish some conditions for the development of the DVB-H standard in the territory.
Mobile operators want to build their own networks and choose the frequencies to use and say that the implementation of DVB-H will depend basically on the competition for the construction and usage of the network, due in 2008.
The Spanish Minister for Industry Joan Clos has already made clear that the radio spectrum is full.
If the Spanish government doesn't come to an agreement with the mobile operators, the development of the DVB-H network is at risk since the operators may then choose their own UMTS networks for the distribution of content.
Source: Rapid TV News|
Item added: 18th September 2007


Spain leads in DTT
Spain has taken the lead in the DTT take-up in Europe according to Tobias Martinez, General Director of Abertis Telecom, the broadcasting agency responsible for the DTT signals transmission.
He commented, “Spain is leading the DTT take-up in Europe following the sales of set-top-boxes increasing over recent months”.
According to the Pro DTT Association, Impulsa, DTT already covers 85 per cent of Spain, with a penetration of 24 per cent and an average share of 7.4 per cent.
Up to July 2007, 5.8 million boxes had been sold.
Martinez went on to say that in future the main drivers behind the development of the DTT platform would be mobile DTT, Internet DTT and High Definition.
Martinez also urged the Government to do its best to help the launch of mobile TV in the second quarter of 2008.
Source: advanced-television.com
Item added: 14th September 2007



Local Interactive DTT tests under way in Spain
Spain is to make interactive MHP-based DTT tests in two towns, San Juan de Aznalfarache and Castilleja de la Cuesta, in the province of Seville.
Aljarafe Television will launch its digital TV channel next week covering all the Seville demarcation area, which comprises of around 1.3 million people.
Around 100 people will take in the interactive trial over the next few months.
They will be equipped with a MHP-ready DTT boxes giving them access to a plethora of interactive services and allowing them to receive information from the town councils, libraries and local workshops.
Source: advanced-television.com (David Del Valle)
Item added: 14th September 2007

Analogue switch-off timetable approved by cabinet
The Spanish cabinet has approved the digital migration plan for analogue switch-off which will begin next year and finish in 2010.
Analogue switch-off will be progressively implemented in four phases.
Switch off begins in 2008 for one per cent of the population (switching off in Soria and A Fonsagrada), reaching 12 per cent by mid 2009 and 32.4 per cent by the end of that year. The process will be completed in April 2010.
The country has been divided into 73 technical areas with a total of 90 transition projects, in three different groups: areas with less than 500,000 inhabitants and high DTT coverage; regions with 500,000 to 700,000 inhabitants; and the third group more than 700,000 inhabitants
Source: advanced-television.com (David Del Valle)
Item added: 14th September 2007

Pay-TV on the DTT platform
Spanish TV networks are considering launching pay-TV services on the free-to-air digital terrestrial platform following the Italy's example.
Technical trials have been taking place in Extremadura, west of Spain, to gain knowledge on what types of content consumers would be interested in.
La Sexta, through production company Mediapro, and DTT operators Net TV and Veo TV are said to be the most enthusiastic to launch Pay-TV services.
Mediapro may also offer football on pay-per-view through the DTT platform.
Francisco Ros, State Secretary of Telecommunications said that "Currently, according to the law, it is not possible to launch pay DTT channels in Spain, but if the sector makes the request, we will study it because we do not want to limit the development of this technology, above all when technically it is possible"
Source: advanced-television.com
Item added: 14th September 2007





MHP-DTT Consortium Formed
Four companies have formed a consortium called Maat Media to develop MHP based DTT applications in Spain. The companies are Gknowledge, SDI Digital, HyC and Multicanal del Cable.
Several applications for weather and educational purposes have already been created by the consortium, which is financed by the Ministry of Industry.
Funding for the project was obtained by the Ministry from the European Union’s development programme.
Source: advanced-television.com
Item added: 3rd September 2007

DTT penetration reaches 19.4%
DTT is accessed by nearly one in five TV households in Spain (19.4%) according to the latest figures from Impulsa TDT.
Penetration varies significantly across the country with the highest being in Madrid (27.3%) followed by Catalonia (26.7%) and Canaries (23.9%) with the lowest being in the region of Aragon (11.3%).
It is estimated that 26.5 million TV sets still have to be converted from analogue to digital before the switchover in 2010.
During the first five months of this year more than 1.7 million digital TV tuners were sold which amounts to one third of the total tuner sales to date.
Source: 20 minutos
Item added: 28th August 2007

Regulations for mobile TV to be completed soon
The Spanish Government is finalising regulations for its mobile TV market and expects them to be complete by September.
The actual Governments plan is expected to call for one multiplex to be dedicated to mobile TV, with around 20 TV channels.
When the regulations are completed a public tender will be issued so that ‘would be’ network operators can apply. Possible bidders are Axion, Abertis and possibly Telefonica, Vodaphone or Orange.
Source: advanced-television.com
Item added: 21st August 2007

La Sexta launches 2nd nationwide DTT channel
Commercial TV channel La Sexta has launched a second nationwide DTT channel called Hoga 10.
It will offer family programming, soap operas, sitcoms and other entertainment programmes.
The channel joins more than 20 DTT channels, which are already being broadcast across Spain on its DTT platform.
Source: Advanced-television.com
Item added:   8th August 2007


Hispasat to extend DTT in Spain
Hispasat has proposed a plan to the Government designed to extend DTT services to the 10% of the country, mostly rural areas, not already covered by the terrestrial service.
Hispasat wants to play an important role in the deployment of DTT and is in talks with "the Administration and some operators", according to the Development Director of Hispasat, Pascual Menendez."We propose to combine both systems. Using terrestrial wherever it is possible and satellite wherever it is difficult or expensive" (to do it via terrestrial), he said. Currently, he estimates 200 transmitters are used to distribute DTT signals, but to cover 98 per cent of the population by 2010, around 3,000 will be needed. "That means a (high) cost and it takes a lot of time".
His proposal comes at a time when state-owned group RTVE is leading a Freesat project, similar to Freesat in the UK or the French initiative.
Both parties, RTVE and Hispasat, are reported to be holding meetings and contact over the last few months to implement the Freesat project
Source: advanced-television.com
Item added: 16th July 2007



Spain's DTT industry wants state subsidies to boost sales
The Spanish DTT industry has urged the Government to approve direct state subsidies to boost the sale of DTT boxes in the country, following the example of the UK, France and Italy.
The Pro DTT Association, Impulsa, wants the Government to lead the digital migration process, which has to be completed in April 2010, by providing state subsidies, to purchase DTT boxes, adapt dishes and by collecting and giving accurate information about the DTT take-up.
The president of the Association, Jaime Castellanos is reported to have said that the lack of information is making many Spaniards acquire TV equipment that is not ready for DTT. He claimed that analogue TV sets from France, which are now not allowed to be sold in that country because they are not ready for DTT, are being sold in Spain for "lack of information" amongst consumers. "We are the stocks warehouse of other countries".
Source: advanced-television.com
Item added: 16th July 2007




UTECA lobbies on mobile TV
Spanish private TV association UTECA formed by TV channels Antenna 3, Tele5, Cuatro, La Sexta, Net TV and Veo TV has urged the government to grant them seven nationwide mobile TV channels. The multiplex would be specifically reserved for mobile TV and would include a slot for RTVE.
The Government has produced a draft bill, which makes a definite distinction between those operating the network which will be open to public tender and the TV operators who will only need administrative authorisation.
In the next few months it is expected that the Government will pave the way for the development of mobile TV, which is likely to come into operation at the beginning of 2008. At present DVB-H test transmissions are taking place in many parts of Spain.
Source: advanced-television.com
Item added: 3rd July 2007



Analogue switch-off by April 2010
Analogue switch-off in Spain will be implemented progressively in four phases starting in 2008 and finishing in April 2010 according to a government plan.
Switch offs in 2008 will effect 1% of the population and increase to 12% by mid 2009 and 32.4% by the end of that year.
The plan divides Spain into 73 technical areas with 90 transition projects in three different groups. The three groups are determined by population numbers; the first being areas with less than 500,000 inhabitants and high DTT coverage; the second having between 500,000 and 700,000 inhabitants; and the third with more than 700,000.
The DTT Transition Committee formed by Broadcasters, Manufacturers, Regional administrations, Consumer associations and Installers has already approved the plan.
It is hoped that the cabinet will give the go ahead in July so that the plan can be implemented.
Source: Advanced-Television.com
Item added: 26th June 2007

Digital TV used in 6 million Spanish homes
SES Astra reports that Digital TV is now in 5.92 million Spanish households with DTT accounting for 2.58 million of them, up 43.5% in a year.
Digital satellite TV is received in 2.16 million homes, up 36.4%, with cable in 760,000, up 12.7%. ADSL TV is in 440,000 homes up 7.4%.
The report goes on to say that of the total 14 million Spanish TV households, 9.68 million view terrestrial TV, 2.7 million view through satellite, 1.21 million through cable and 440,000 through ADSL.
Source: advanced-television.com
Item added: 12th June 2007

New TV Law on hold
The Government has put off the decision to send the new overall TV Law, Ley General del Audiovisual to the Parliament because of lack of time available in the current parliamentary session.
The new law was aimed at ending the ‘chaotic’ and disparate Spanish TV legislation according to advanced-television.comThe delay which also affected another law to create an Audiovisual council will allow the inclusion of a new part of the legislation called ‘new TV without frontiers’. This new piece of legislation forms part of a wide Government plan to reform the TV industry and includes regulation of DTT and the re-organisation of state-owned RTVE.
Source: advanced-television.com
Item added: 5th June 2007


DTT coverage to reach 85%
DTT coverage in Spain will reach 85% of the country over the next few months according to advanced-television.com.
DTT operators are legally obliged to extend the DTT coverage from the current 80% and reach 96% for private channels and 98% for public services broadcasters by 2010, which is the analogue switch off deadline.
Source: advanced-television.com
Item added: 31st May 2007



DTT reaches 18% penetration
Media Research association AIMC reported recently that DTT penetration in Spain had reached 18%.
16.5% of DTT homes watch DTT through a TV with an integrated set-top-box.
Flat TV’s are preferred and are now in 10.1% of homes a rise of 33% in the last quarter.
Source: advanced-television.com
Item added: 1st May 2007

Government finance to convert SMATV to DTT
Government support has been announced to allow several regions to convert Satellite Master Antenna TV systems (SMATV) so that they can receive signals from the DTT platform.
In Madrid, the regional government will finance up to 50% of costs in areas covering more than 20 flats and 20-30% of costs in areas with less than 20 flats. Altogether, 700,000 households will be able to benefit from the subsidy.
Other regions to receive aid include Asturias and Catalonia.
Source: advanced-television.com
Item added: 5th March 2007


DTT in the Basque region by the end of 2008
DTT services are expected to be launched in the Basque region in 2008, according to the Cultural councillor for the region Miren Azkarate.
Local authorities will invite broadcaster to tender for DTT licences at the end of 2007 with a plan to start services by the end of 2008.
Source: Diario Vasco
Item added: 26th February 2007

Commercial launch for DVB-H in Spain
The Spanish Government is set to approve legislation, before June, that will allow for the introduction of DVB-H services. After approval, commercial DVB-H services could start before the end of 2007 or early in 2008.
It is expected that one multiplex will be available and allow five operators to share its capacity. Up to 20 DVB-H service slots could be made available.
The leading mobile operators - Telefónica, Vodafone and Orange - are already involved in DVB-H trials across Spain.
Source: advanced-television.com
Item added: 20^th February 2007

Extensive DVB-H services at the 3GSM 2007 World Congress
Four dedicated DVB-H multiplexes are planned to be in operation during this years World GSM Congress in Barcelona.
Abertis Telecom have been appointed as the transmission provider and will make available three congress wide multiplexes for Thomson, Sidsa and Siemens as well as a City wide multiplex for Nokia.
Full details of the planned services and parameters can be found on the DVB-H website by clicking on the source link at the end of this item.
The Congress in the Fira de Barcelona starts on the 12th February and ends on the15th.
Source: DVB-H website
Item added: 30th January 2007

Commercial broadcasters request lower DTT coverage limits
Commercial broadcasters in Spain are asking the government to reduce the level of DTT coverage required after analogue switch-off.
The existing law calls for a DTT coverage of 98% of the population by the public service broadcaster RTVE while commercial broadcasters must provide DTT coverage of 96% following analogue switch-off in 2010. Currently, DTT coverage in Spain stands at 80% of the population.
Commercial broadcasters would like to reduce their minimum DTT coverage requirement to 90% of the population.
Source: El País
Item added: 30^th January 2007

TVC to offer HD services on its terrestrial platform
Televisio de Catalunya (TVC), the regional broadcaster in Catalonia is planning to launch High-Definition television services on its DTT platform by the end of the year.
TVC has been allocated 8 DTT multiplexes, 2 of which will be reserved for HDTV services. TVC also plans to strengthen its interactive services on the DTT platform.
Source: advanced-television.com
Item added: 16th January 2007

2.6 million DTT receivers sold
Between March 2003 and October 2006   2,614,335 DTT STB’s/receivers were sold in Spain according to a report on the Impulsa TDT website.
DTT penetration reached 14.4% of the population by November compared with a penetration of 7.7% in June. DTT coverage is estimated at 80.45% and the average cost of an STB is given as €54.31
More details can be found on the Impulsa website by clicking on the “source” link.
Source: Impulsa TDT website
Item added: 9th January 2007

Government to release Analogue Switch Off plans in May 2007
The government is said to be putting together its digital switchover timetable with the intention of reaching analogue switch-off in April 2010 according to an article on the Digitag website. The item goes on to say that the plan is expected to be made available in May 2007. At present DTT penetration, in Spain, stands at 16.3% of the population and the Minister for Telecommunications, Francisco Ros, believes that a higher penetration can easily be attained. In his opinion, this can be done by improving the quality of DTT services over that of the existing analogue provision. Also removing the existing consumer confusion about DTT suitability of equipment will help. The government and consumer electronic manufacturers are planning to sign an agreement which will see clear labels on TV sets saying whether or not they have an integrated digital tuner.
Finally, the government is also planning to put together a plan for mobile television services. It has noted that 50% of mobile phone users in Spain would like to receive mobile television services.
Source: Digitag attributed to EFE
Item added: 27th December 2006

New DVB-H trial in Alcazar de San Juan
A DVB-H pilot has started in Alcazar de San Juan according to an announcement made at a meeting of Castilla-La Mancha technical dignitaries, the mayor of the town and the chief of the directorate for Technology and Development services in Spain.
Thirty-five selected users will explore the use of advanced interactive services on the DVB-H platform, accessed on Motorola handheld phones. Siemens, Sidsa, Hipasat and Telefonica Audio visual services are taking part in the project, which will test how these services can provide new possibilities for business and the audiovisual sector.
Source: terra.es
Item added: 19th December 2006

Pro DTT group gets new president
Jaime Castellanos, president of DTT channel Veo TV, has been appointed as the new president of Impulsa TDT, the Pro DTT Association formed by Spanish broadcasters and Abertis, to boost the development of DTT in Spain.
The news item on the advanced-television.com website goes on to say that Castellanos succeeds Joan Mayo in the post at a time when the number of DTT viewers continues to grow in Spain. The Association recently launched a massive advertising campaign to promote DTT and has asked the Government to play a more active role in the market and to inject more money to finance DTT.
Source: advanced-television.com
Item added: 28th November 2006

Government urged to publish an Analogue Switch Off plan
Broadcasters on the DTT platform are asking the government to approve an analogue switch-off plan as soon as possible in order to encourage the development of DTT services. Analogue switch-off has been set for April 2010.
According to Andres Tejero, CEO of Veo TV: "We need a switch-off plan to be seriously implemented. We have to start switching off analogue transmissions to make it clear that the digital process has already taken off."
Source: advanced-television.com
Item added: 21st November 2006  

Ager first Catalan town to go "All-Digital"
The Catalan government has selected the town of Ager to be the first in the region to switch off analogue TV. This will take place in February 2007 and will enable the 502 residents of Ager to access 24 television programmes on the new DTT platform. The pilot is designed to gain a better understanding of the issues that may arise from the conversion of collective antennas and the installation of DTT receivers. Also the majority of the population are pensioners a group that is expected to have the biggest problem in adapting to the new technology.
The changeover process is eased by the fact that the valley is served by a single analogue repeater, which can easily be changed to one, suitable for the digital service.
Other digital switch-over pilots in Catalonia are also expected in the municipalities of La Fatarella and Amer. Altogether, the government will provide €1 million to fund these pilot projects.
Analogue switch-off in Catalonia is expected to be completed in 2009 while 2010 is the date set for the rest of Spain.
Source: El Periódico.com
Item added: 31st October 2006

Analogue Switch Off pilot in 2008
An analogue switch-off pilot in the province of Soria, in the region of Castilla y Leon, has been confirmed. The pilot will take place in 2008, making Soria the first province in the country to completely migrate to digital TV.
The project will be divided into three separate phases. In the first phase, viewers will be given access to the digital technology; in the second phase, the new content will be developed for the digital platform; and finally during the third phase analogue services will be switched off, with digital coverage in 100% of households. Analogue switch-off is set to take place nationwide in April 2010.
Source: Digitag
Quoted source: advanced-television.com
Item added: 26th October 2006

Over 2 million STB’s sold
More than 2,250,000 STB’s have been sold since Spain re-launched DTT in November 2005, reports the Advanced-television.com website.
It goes on to say that 6 million Spanish homes are currently receiving DTT and this totals 18 million people.
The General Director of Telecommunications and Information Technology is reported as saying that the latest figures prove that “Spain has overcome the DTT deadlock” reached following the demise of the Pay-TV platform Quiero.
Source: Advanced Television.com
Item added: 10th October 2006

Pro DTT Association launches campaign
The Pro DTT Association formed by the major Spanish TV operators, has launched a country wide advertising campaign to boost the take-up of DTT in Spain.
The ad-campaign, which will run until the end of the year, is being shown by all analogue TV networks and highlights the advantages of Digital TV and also explains how to gain access to it.
Official figures show that there are already 3.5 million homes (more than 10 million people) that already have DTT. Another 2.5 million (more than 7 million people) could access DTT if they had receiving equipment.
Source: Advanced-television.com
Item added: 4th October 2006

Spanish Multiplex information
If you need more information on some of the DTT multiplexes available in Spain then the Tdt1 website should be useful to you.
Website: Tdt1
(thanks to ADB for the info.)
Item added: 18th September 2006

Catalonia launches DTT project
Website Advanced-television.com has given details of a new DTT project in the Catalonia region of Spain.
The Regional Government, along with public TV group CCRTV and two Universities, has launched a state-of-the-art project - T-Ciudadano (T-Citizen) - based on DTT, designed to enable e-government, allowing citizens to contact the administration through their TV sets.
The project, which has a budget of €1.5 million, will be implemented in two cities, Mataro and Vilanova.
Source: Advanced-television.com
Item added:22nd August 2006

RTVE launches interactive services on DTT
Public service broadcaster RTVE has launched its first interactive services on the DTT platform according to website advanced-television.com
Partners in the launch were Fresh IT, Abertis and Soluziona.
Among the services on offer are an EPG, advanced digital teletext, radio services, information services about the traffic, weather and the Stock Market and Emplea-T, with job advertisements.
RTVE also announced that it will launch a massive campaign from September to promote these services and encourage consumers to acquire MHP-enabled set-top-boxes.
Source: advanced-television.com
Item added: 11th July 2006

Nearly 2 million STB’s sold since November 2005
According to recently released Spanish government figures 1,750,000 DTT receivers have been sold in Spain since the re-launch of DTT services in November 2005.
Source: Noticias Pyme
Item added: 26th June 2006

First HDTV transmissions on a DTT platform
Regional broadcaster CARTV together with the broadcast network operator Abertis and production company Mediapro have undertaken the first HDTV transmissions on a DTT platform in Spain. The transmissions took place in Zaragoza as part of the International Festival of HD and Digital Cinema. The HD trial finished on the 18th June.
Source: Digitag
Item added: 20th June 2006

Seville gives the Thumbs Up to Mobile TV
Abertis Telecom, Nokia and Vodafone Espana   reported the first results from the Seville DVB-H mobile trial at a special event on May 5th in the city. 80% of the participants say they would recommend the Mobile TV service with 8 out of 10 saying that it was easy to use.
Users watched the service for approximately 35 minutes each day and 38 minutes at weekends.
The trial involved 300 users who had access to 14 television channels from a variety of local broadcasters including, Antena 3 TV, Net TV, Sogecable, Telecino, RTVA (Canal Sur), RTVE, RTW (Canal Nou) and Veo TV.
Source: 3G Portal
Item added: 10^th May 2006

More DVB-H trials this time in Zaragoza
Amena, Abertis Telecom and Nokia have announced another DVB-H pilot test, this time in Zaragoza.
Over 125 Aroganese users will test the characteristics of the system and how it works in the area around Zaragoza, centrally and in underground situations probably with simple repeaters.
Users will be able to access services from TVE, Antenna 3, Telecinco, Cuarto, Net TV y Veo TV), thematic channels CNN+ 40 Latino, C24 h, Teledeporte, Neox, Nova y Telecinco Sport and Aragon TV.
Source: Invertia.com
Item added:30th March 2006

DTT take-up in Spain is a success
The ministry of Industry has reacted to the gloomy assessment of DTT broadcasters by saying that the DTT take-up is a success, according to an item on the Advanced Television.com website.
The telecommunication Secretary of State, Francisco Ros is reported as saying that more than 2.5 million homes (more than 7.5 million people) have access to DTT signals and that more than two million homes (representing 6 million people) are able to receive DTT if they get a Set-Top-Box.
Of the 2.5 million homes, 1.1 million have purchased a DTT, STB, 9% of which are MHP capable. Another 1.3 million receive Digital TV through their cable systems and 200 thousand watch through the Telefónicá Imagenio IPTV service.
”Citizens have positively welcomed DTT and are betting on it,” commented the Secretary of State.
Source: Advanced Television.com 17th March 2006
Item added: 21st March, 2006

Broadcasters expected to call for a delay to the Analogue TV switch off date
Spanish Broadcasters are reported to be planning to ask the government to delay the analogue TV switch-off date from the planned 3 April 2010. Broadcasters are said to be pessimistic towards the DTT market after a reduction in DTT receiver sales in the first two months of 2006. Sales up to Christmas were exceptional with 500-600 thousand receivers being sold and the drop in sales after Christmas is to be expected.
Broadcasters have been complaining about the lack of financial support from the government to help with the development of the DTT market and the call for a delay may be part of negotiations for more help.
Original source: advanced-television.com
Item added: 13th March 2006

DVB-H service launch in 2007
Network operator Abertis has announced plans to launch a country-wide DVB-H services in early 2007. It is confident that a market exists for broadcasting television services to handheld receivers.

Abertis, together with Telefonica and Nokia, also presented the first results of their DVB-H trial during the 3GSM World conference in Barcelona.
Five hundred users in Madrid and Barcelona participated a commercial DVB-H trial and
results showed that 55% of participants would be willing to pay for a mobile television service.  75% of users said that the would recommend the service to others.
Users spent an average of 16 minutes per day watching mobile television, mainly from their home. The most popular content was news, followed by sitcoms and music videos.
Source: Digitag and IBL News 
Item added: 20th February 2006 

Mobile TV to Dominate at 3GSM World Congress (February 10th)
With 55,000 people set to converge on Barcelona for the annual 3GSM World Congress, more than forty companies are preparing to show why DVB-H is fast becoming the global standard for mobile digital television. There will be three DVB-H multiplexes on air in Barcelona carrying more than forty TV channels.
Source: DVB
Item added: 13th February 2006

Telefónica meets customer target
Spanish telecoms operator Telefónica has met its target of more than 200,000 subscribers for its hybrid internet protocol television (IPTV) and digital terrestrial television (DTT) service, Imagenio.
The service was launched less than a year ago in Madrid and Barcelona and is now available to 4m households in 140 cities. The hybrid DTT/IPTV boxes were produced by Advanced Digital Broadcasting (ADB).
Source: DTG
Item added: 10th January 2006

More mobile TV trials in Spain
Valencia is the latest city in Spain preparing to test mobile TV using DVB-H enabled phones. Spanish network operator Abertis Telecom, broadcaster Radio Televisión Valenciana (RTVV), Nokia and Vodafone have announced the trial which aims  to  explore the possibilities offered by the new services and evaluate their technological and commercial potential. 
150 users in Valencia will be equipped with a mobile phones which allow them TV reception of 14 channels, some with interactive content and mobile services. The trial is due to be completed by April 2006 and joins others taking place in Barcelona and Madrid.
Source: Broadband TV News, Jan 5th
Item added: January 5th 2006

DTT forging ahead
DTT in Spain is ahead of all forecasts according to recent reports from Spain. In a web update from Advanced-Television.com it is reported that around one million homes are already watching the 18 DTT channels made available by the RTVE-led consortium.
The Consultancy, Corporacion Multimedia is saying that the penetration rate for DTT is now 4.7% only two months after the re-launch of DTT in Spain.
ASIMELEC, the Spanish Electronic Companies Association had estimated that only 850,000 homes would have access to DTT by the end of the year and this figure has been clearly exceeded. The estimate was also set for 2 million by the end of 2006 and on present trends this is also likely to be exceeded.
Source: Advanced-Television.com, 5th Jan 2006
Item added: 5th January 2006

Recent

DTT Re-launched in Spain Nationally and Locally
From today, the 30th November 2005, 80% of the Spanish population are able to receive 20-26 DTT programmes with the re-launch of Digital Terrestrial Television in Spain.

National DTT
Five National DTT multiplexes are now on the air:
MUX 1 (MFN) TVE1, TVE2, Canal24H, ClanTV/50anosTV
MUX 2 (SFN) Teledeporte, VeoTV1, VeoTV2, NetTV (all on Ch 66)
MUX 3 (SFN) Cuarto, CNN+, 40Latino, LaSexta (all on Ch 67)MUX 4 (SFN) Tele5, Tele5 Sport, Tele5Estrella, Fly Music (all on Ch 68)
MUX 5 (SFN) Antena3, Nova, Necx, LaSexta  (all on Ch 69)

Regional DTT
Depending on the area up to two local multiplexes are available:
Catalunya 2 multiplexes.
MUX TVC (MFN) TV3, K3/33, 3/24, 300
MUX EDC (MFN) City TV
Madrid 1 multiplex.
MUX  (MFN) Telemadrid, LeOtra, Onda6
Other regions with one multiplex on the air are: Canarias, Aragon, Valencia, Galicia, Euskadi, Andalucia.

Local DTT
The first re-launched local service went on air in Barcelona on the 26th November 2005, just a few days before the national launch. http://www.barcelonatv.com
The service on channel 26 covers the Barcelona area, using 64QAM modulation, an FEC of 2/3 and a guard interval of 1/4.
Source: Abertis Telecom
Item added: 30th November 2005

DTT boxes take off in Spain
The forthcoming launch of free to air DTV is driving up the sales of set-top boxes according to an article on the advanced-television website. Over the last ten months, 400,000 units are reported to have been sold putting an end to the previous three year stagnation of DTV following the closure of the Quiero pay-TV platform. Electronic manufacturers have high hopes for Christmas period sales and expect that a further 300,000 units will be sold.
Source: Advanced Television
Item added: 21st November 2005

Nokia predicts a commercial DVB-H launch by the end of 2006
VP of Strategy and Business Development EMEA for Nokia, Serge Ferre, said he was for a launch in Spain of the DVB-H based mobile TV system in 2006, during a recent conference in Madrid.
He was confident of success following the positive results of the recent in country pilots in Madrid and Barcelona and urged the regulatory authorities to pave the way with a clear regulation of the business.
Source: Advanced Television
Item added: 21st November 2005

DTT re-launch on November 30th 2005
Spain is ramping up for the re-launch of its Digital Terrestrial TV services on the 30th November.
Each commercial broadcaster currently on the analogue terrestrial platform will receive 3 DTT licences, so that as well as broadcasting digital versions of an existing service they will have two additional slots for new services.
Telecinco will offer a service devoted to fiction programmes and a sports service. Antena 3 will offer one children’s service and one service aimed at women while Sogecable will offer a news service and a music service.
Simulcasting of existing analogue TV transmissions and the new digital services are planned to continue until April 3rd 2010.
Source: DigiTag and Cinco Dias
Item added: 15th November 2005

Broadcasters launch DTT promotion organisation
A new organisation the Asociacion Pro TNT has been launched to promote DTT services in Spain.
RTVE, Telecino, Antena 3, Sogecable, Net TV, VeoTV and a representative of the regional broadcaster Forta have all joined forces together with network operator Abertis in the new Association.
The group aims to speed up the development of the DTT market, which starts with 18 channels  launching on the DTT platform next month.
One of its first tasks is to set up a study group to oversee and coordinate the digital migration, planned to be completed in April 2010.
Sources: CincoDias and advanced-television.com 20th Oct
Item added: 25th October 2005

Previous

Nokia are to flood the Spanish Market with TV phones according to Advanced-Television.com
The item goes on to say that the Finish mobile company plans a full-frontal assault on the Spanish mobile TV market with the massive launch in 2006 of mobile TV-ready phones.

Nokia, along with other mobile TV operators, is eagerly expecting the Government's decision to allocate the DTT mobile TV frequencies over the next months. Nokia -with a market share of around 40 per cent - is already involved in the first DVB-H project in Spain, along with Telefonica and broadcasting agency Abertis. They recently reached an agreement with several Spanish TV broadcasters - TVE, Telemadrid and TV3, Tele 5, Antena 3 and Canal Plus- to trial DVB-H with up to 15 TV channels. Initially, the launch was scheduled for September, but it is running late. The idea is to test mobile TV for six months.
Source: Advanced-television.com 30th September
Item added: 30th September 2005

National Technical Plan approved
On the 30th July 2005 the Spanish Cabinet approved the Decree for the National Technical Plan for digital television, (Televiso'n Digital Terrestre (TDT)),  which establishes the conditions for the transition to digital television and the structure of different networks, as well as the launch of a new analogue channel covering 70% of Spain.
According to the Ministry, the objective of the plan is to ensure a smooth transition to digital television and the switch off of  analogue services in 2010 as well as increasing the availablity of channels whilst ensuring provision for Independent Communities throughout Spain.
Antenna 3 TV, Telecino, and Canal + will be on a multiplex with complete coverage. RTVE will be allowed a multiplex containing four channels of programmes with regional variations as well as another SFN multiplex covering the whole of Spain.
The plan targets public coverage from RTVE as 80% of the population by December 31st 2005, 90% by 2008 and 98% at switch off in 2010.
Private operators also have the same targets although the coverage at switch off in 2010 is limited to 95%.
Item added: 8th August 2005
Source: Foro de la Television Digital


Abertis Telecom, Nokia and Telefonica Moviles Espana start the first DVB-H pilot in Spain
Abertis Telecom, Nokia and Telefonica Moviles Espaana are starting a mobile TV pilot project using Digital Video Broadcasting-Handheld (DVB-H) technology. The project is backed by major regional and local channels and is the first of its kind in Spain. It will take place between September and February 2006 finishing at the end of the World GSM Congress 2006 in Barcelona.
500 hundred users from Madrid and Barcelona will be able to watch high quality TV broadcast content from Antenna 3, Sogecable, Telecino, Telemadrid, TVE and TV3 on Nokia 7710 Smartphones modified to receive DVB-H transmissions. Tests of the pilot system were planned to start in June.
Initial source: Lycos finance
Item added: 6th July 2005

The Spanish Government agree the launch of Seven national multiplexes
The Spanish Cabinet have approved the opening of a process to launch 7 national DTT multiplexes and one new analogue channel, covering 70% of the population.
It is hoped that by the end of the year 17 digital terrestrial channels will be available.
Two of the new multiplexes will be reserved for the public broadcaster RTVE.
Antena 3, Tele 5, Sogacable, Net and VeoTV are also being allowed to keep the licences already allocated to them in 2002. One multiplex will be reserved for broadcasting to mobile devices.
The Analogue switch off date was also confirmed as April 2010.
Source: CincoDias
Item added: 27th June 2005

Countdown to DTT re-launch
The General Secretary for Telecommunications, Francisco Ros, has announced that the Government is to finally re-allocate Quiero's three and a half multiplexes (14 TV channels) "over the next weeks". The re-allocation will made amongst present broadcasters -RTVE, Antena 3, Tele 5, Canal Plus, Veo TV and Net TV- although one or two new possible entrants are not ruled out.

The Administration is holding negotiations with state-owned group RTVE about its role in the development of DTT. RTVE has asked the Government to grant it with two multiplexes to lead the market. "Undoubtedly, its role (RTVE) will be very important", said Ros. In parallel, the Government hopes that the new DTT law is finally approved in May to give a definitive boost to the market and pave the way for the launch in Autumn of a DTT platform with 22 channels, coinciding with the Christmas campaign.
Source: Advanced-Television.com
Item added: 26th April 2005

Watchdog Committee to help the development of DTT
The socialist Government has decided to create a watchdog committee to follow up the transition to digital, in an attempt to give a real boost to the DTT market.

This new body - to be set up under the presidency of the State Secretary of Telecommunications, Francisco Ros - will be composed of representatives from state-owned group RTVE, regional channels (FORTA), private televisions (UTECA), radio stations, electronic manufacturers, installers and wholesalers.

The committee aims to take the necessary decisions to foster and develop DTT, as well as to establish and approve a global strategy in the transition period to digital until the analogue switch-over now scheduled for 2010.

Within this Committee, the Ministry of Industry will also create the so-called DTT Technical Forum, responsible for carrying out the technical actions approved by the Committee.

The creation of this watchdog committee takes place at a time when the Government-sponsored DTT bill - under discussion in Parliament - is causing a stir in the TV market.
Source: David Vale for Advanced Television.com
More at: http://www.advanced-television.com/2005/news_archive_2005/Feb21_25.htm

The information provided comes from several sources and whilst DVB believe it to be correct we cannot guarantee its accuracy.

If you have more up to date information or corrections please send them to dvb@dvb.org.

Last page update: 11th November 2008, Barry Tew.