The future of terrestrial television

Background

Multiplex licences allow stations to broadcast multiple television channels using a single frequency on the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) platform. The DTT platform (commonly referred to as Freeview) is a method of broadcasting television signals over the airwaves, primarily through the use of a rooftop or indoor aerial, providing access to a range of free-to-air channels. In December 2020, the government launched a consultation seeking views on the renewal of multiplex licences expiring in 2022 and 2026 on the DTT platform.

In August 2021, the government announced that it would extend five national multiplex licences for DTT until 2034. The Television Multiplex Services (Renewal of Multiplex Licences) Order 2021, which came into force in September 2021, amended existing legislation to allow for the renewal of multiplex licences until that date.

Future of TV distribution reports

In its April 2022 broadcasting white paper, Up next, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said it would ask Ofcom, the communications regulator, to undertake a review of market changes that might affect the future of television content distribution.

Ofcom published a report on the future of TV distribution (PDF) in May 2024. This noted that people were spending less time watching TV broadcast over DTT and noted broadcasters’ concerns that "declining viewership on broadcast platforms over the next 10-15 year will create a tipping point at which the cost of distributing via DTT and satellite will exceed the benefits generated from being on those platforms". The report set out “three broad approaches to the future of DTT for industry and government to consider”:

• investment in a more efficient DTT service
• reduction of DTT down to a core service
• movement towards DTT switch-off over the 2030s

In October 2024, DCMS published a report on the future of TV distribution, prepared by the University of Exeter, the University of Leeds, MTM, 3 Reasons and Real Wireless. The report’s key findings included:

• that the households that relied on DTT for their TV services in 2023 (17% of households) tended to have lower incomes, were more likely to be disabled, older, living alone, female, and geographically in the north of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
• that the UK's digital terrestrial television network continued to use transmission and encoding technology from the 1990s for most of its services

On the future of the service, the report stated:

If digital terrestrial television has a long-term future, the UK should prepare for the potential implications of co-primary use of the spectrum. This would require modernisation of the digital terrestrial television network to mitigate the risk of some loss of spectrum after 2031 and to continue using the available spectrum effectively. The simpler, lower-cost way of achieving this would be to broadcast all channels using DVB-T2 and MPEG4. This technology was introduced for Freeview HD broadcasts in 2009 and most TV sets sold over the last 15 years are already compatible. By giving sufficient advance notice, all households could be ready well before 2031.

In May 2025, DCMS published a research report on the future of TV distribution and the barriers, motivations, and preferences of viewers. According to the report, less than a quarter of participants said they would struggle if DTT was no longer available. The potential challenges highlighted included financial barriers, technical ability and internet reliability.

BBC position

In an May 2025 speech, Tim Davie, Director General of the BBC, said:

...as DCMS explores the best way forward for the future of TV distribution, we believe the BBC can play a vital role in helping to support audiences to transition to digital in a way that’s fair and equitable, where access is guaranteed and no one is left behind.

We think now is the time to confirm an IP switchover in the 2030s, setting out the conditions and providing certainty to ensure success.

There are huge benefits, financially and socially, and we want to play our part, working with government, with our sector and beyond to help - building trust that a digital world can work for all. The BBC can play a key role in innovating to ensure that the new world is inclusive and accessible.

To help, we want to double down on Freely as a universal free service to deliver live TV over broadband. And we are considering a streaming media device with Freely capabilities built in, with a radically simplified user interface specifically designed to help those yet to benefit from IP services.

The BBC and ETV commissioned a report with PwC on the value of digital inclusion and the role that TV can play in delivering it. The report - Socioeconomic impact of digital transition (PDF) - was published in August 2025. A BBC article summarised the main findings.

Broadcast 2040+ campaign

The Broadcast 2040+ campaign was launched in 2022 by Arqiva (the provider of the DTT infrastructure). The campaign wants to secure the future of free-to-air broadcast TV and radio services beyond 2034. Initially led by five members, the group’s membership has expanded to 37 organisations.

Government initiatives

In November 2024, the government launched a forum to advise on the future of UK television. One of the forum’s aims is to ensure that “no one is left behind amid a shift towards online viewing” by considering how all viewers, including older people and those without internet connectivity on their TV, can continue to access British content as consumer habits continue to change.

On 12 March 2025, in response to a parliamentary question on what steps it was taking to ensure the availability of terrestrial television services in rural areas after the expiry of broadcasting licences, the DCMS said:

The government’s project on the future of TV distribution is seeking to understand how people receive their television now and in the next decade. This will inform any decision concerning the future of digital terrestrial television services after 2034.

As part of this process, a wide range of views are being sought from across the TV sector, audience groups and infrastructure, including through a stakeholder forum that I chair. Membership of the Stakeholder Forum includes a number of groups representing rural, older and lower income audiences, including the Rural Services Network, Silver Voices and Digital Poverty Alliance.

In addition to independent research led by Exeter University and published last year, the government has commissioned follow up research to understand in more detail the specific preferences, motivations and barriers regarding TV viewing among a variety of groups including rural, older and low-income households.

Further resources Parliamentary questions

• Television: Digital Broadcasting, 17 July 2025 | UIN HL9605
• Television: Digital Broadcasting, 17 July 2025 | UIN 9603
• Television: Digital Broadcasting, 17 July 2025 | UIN 9602
• Broadcasting: Infrastructure, 12 May 2025 | UIN 51361
• Television, 28 April 2025 | UIN 48384
• Freeview Service, 28 April 2025 | UIN 48383
• Television: Digital Broadcasting, 3 March 2025 | UIN 35156