FROM THE INDUSTRY
Transitions Television has seen a number of transitions over the last 100 years; experimental to full service, public service to commercial, black and white to colour and analogue to digital. Those transitions have not generally overlapped, but this changed with Digital Switch Off (DSO). This is because it was during DSO that the current transition started - the move to streaming. The first streaming services were early adopter novelties for many but that changed over the last 15 years. Today Broadcaster Video On Demand (BVOD) and Subscription Video On Demand (SVOD) are a primary way of consuming television. They have even pushed traditional Pay TV providers into becoming aggregators of on-demand streaming apps, rather than key content aggregators. This has created a bounty of content for viewers to binge watch, something which accelerated during Covid leading us to where we are today. Broadband adoption has been a key driver for streaming service growth. This itself has resulted in TV Everywhere services becoming the norm. TV Everywhere is having what you want to watch, when you want to watch it, wherever you want to watch it and on whatever device you want to watch it on. It not only grew on demand consumption, it has also dragged live consumption with it.
n Viewership was moving to streamed platforms, possibly quicker than even OFCOM anticipated. n New opportunities abound for higher
n There is a high risk of an unmanaged transition where broadcasters would leave DTT unilaterally, reduce or close services, degrading choice and quality for vulnerable, unconnected audiences. n Decisions needed to be taken in line with the next broadcast licence renewals that are due in 2034. Three options were outlined: n Invest in an upgraded DTT platform offering more efficient standards, reducing operating costs while maintaining services. n Slim down service provision to a ‘nightlight’ service for core public services, whilst delivering other services via the Internet. n Full switch off with a fully managed transition away from broadcast. As you might imagine, these findings shook up an already jittery industry, galvanising engagement towards identifying what every broadcaster had to do about meeting such challenges. SCTE Presents: TV to IP In October 2025 the SCTE hosted its acclaimed SCTE Presents: TV to IP day, in London, covering many of these issues at a full day conference, of which I was a participant. The consensus was that a Full Switch Off was the most likely outcome for the UK, rather than the other options that OFCOM set out. Our industry experts were very clear about the impact of the transition.
quality services, interactivity and new advertising formats including shoppable services.
n High-concurrency live events create traffic peaks, but several technologies can manage these loads while maintaining resilience and security across broadband infrastructure with universal UK coverage. n Low latency to match current broadcast latency is a key requirement. n Complex UIs, forced user logins, fragmented app environments, and inconsistent home WiFi creates user fatigue, particularly for those who are non-tech savvy. n Infrastructural Divide: Fibre remains the gold-standard connectivity baseline, with Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) and satellite filling gaps for hard-to-reach areas.
The Government Green Paper
In June 2026, the UK Government published the long-awaited Green Paper entitled ‘Watch this Space’. This green paper is the key consultation document delivered to the industry and to consumers intended to gather full feedback on the initial views of the transition before selecting the final approach. The three options had evolved and taken a pivot. The focus was now only on full transition and the turn off of existing broadcast services.
OFCOM Takes Action
In May 2024 OFCOM published an absolutely ground shaking report on the Future of Television Distribution, going into exquisite detail about the state of television distribution and the risks that an unmanaged transition to streaming could potentially have on the nation. The report covered: n Audience behaviour driving viewers to all Internet-based delivery, whether
they are DTT Broadcast viewers, satellite or even cable. With over 5 million households already solely
consuming Internet delivered television, only 3.9 million watching DTT/FreeSat households, the rest are enjoying hybrid viewing. n Audiences are moving towards Internet-only viewing at a rapid pace and OFCOM are concerned that DTT/ Broadcast distribution would no longer be financially viable in fact sooner rather than later, driving OFCOM to act.
Volume 48 No.23 SEPTEMBER 2026
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