Freeview denies HD roll-out delay

Yesterday, Freeview announced that its HD service would be expanded to cover 160,000 extra homes before the Rugby World Cup, which begins in September.

Whangarei, Rotorua, Taupo, Gisborne, New Plymouth, Masterton, Whanganui, Nelson, Timaru and Invercargill – giving Freeview HD 86% coverage nationwide.

Before Christmas, the government ear-marked $5.6 million to cover the cost of the expansion, which will involve new towers being erected in New Plymouth and Invercargill, and transmission gear added to existing towers elsewhere.

JDA elbows Kordia
Auckland company Johnston Dick and Associates (JDA) won the expansion contract in nine of the 10 areas, a spokesman for broadcasting minister Jonathan Coleman confirmed. JDA elbowed aside Freeview's long-time infrastructure partner, state-owned Kordia, in all centres covered by the contract bar New Plymouth.

Last month, after contracts were award by the Ministry of Culture and Heritage, JDA principal Phil Johnston told media his privately-held company would complete the upgrade in its nine centres by June.

Last night, Freeview general manager Sam Irvine told NBR that a June deadline could still be met, subject to weather.

NBR understands that ongoing fees for the network expansion are another sticking point. Mr Irvine said discussions in this area were always held directly between Freeview broadcasters and transmission providers.

Digital switchover
The digital TV switchover will be phased starting with Hawke’s Bay and the West Coast in September 2012. The rest of the country will switch over in three stages between April and November 2013 - by which point every household will have to be on Freeview, Sky TV, or another digital TV provider.

The government will then auction off freed-up analogue spectrum, which can be redeployed for mobile phone and wireless internet networks. The auction is expected to raise several hundred million dollars.

Freeview already covers 100% of the country through its standard definition (SD) digital TV service, delivered by satellite.

The consortium has told NBR that because Sky TV has bought out all remaining bandwidth on the Optus D1 satellite covering New Zealand, Freeview can only expand its high-definition (HD) service though through more expensive terrestrial towers.

The HD race
At its February 18 update, covering the six months to September, Sky TV said it had 212,698 My Sky HDi subscribers out of 231,100 My Sky subscirbers. The companies total subscriber base increased 2.9% to 807,400.

On February 16, Freeview said its decoders were in 523,210 homes, of which 215,120 had Freeview HD.

By Mr Coleman's calculation, 72% of homes now receive some form of digital TV service.