While driving consumer uptake of superfast broadband will be a challenge, the switch-off of DTT in 2034 could present a unique context to bring longtime excluded consumers online
The BBC joins calls to plan now for a successful DTT switch-off
On 14 May 2025, Tim Davie (Director-General, BBC) delivered a speech on the public service broadcaster’s future and laid out its vision for the future of all-IP television (IPTV) in the UK. The speech, which was largely themed around the broadcaster’s role in building and maintaining the trust of the public, highlighted the opportunity at hand to embrace technology in furthering those interests. Davie’s stated ambition of retiring digital terrestrial television (DTT) aligned generally with prior Government commitments on maintaining access through at least 2034, suggesting that now is an opportune moment to set out a plan for an all-IP migration in “the 2030s” and establish certainty for consumers and broadcasters in advance of a switch-off. In its report on the state of TV distribution published in May 2024, Ofcom similarly highlighted a need for timely planning by the Government to manage a DTT switch-off in 2034, suggesting that a definite direction be established no later than 2026 to ensure time to achieve wider take-up of superfast broadband services, which is identified as a key barrier to a successful transition.
While broadband availability appears on track to support a DTT switch-off, concerns remain around boosting consumer take-up of superfast services
Davie’s comments also referenced a 2024 report commissioned by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) in November 2024 on the future of TV distribution that predicted that, without intervention, approximately 95% of households will adopt IPTV at least in part by 2040, leaving around 1.5m households unconnected and reliant on DTT or satellite. Based on an assumption that almost all (99.65%) UK households will have access to superfast broadband by 2030, the report further predicted that more than 70% of consumers will rely exclusively on IPTV, either through streaming or linear broadcast, by 2040. Regarding broadband access, Ofcom predicted in its report that continued public and private investment would increasingly close the gap between current coverage levels for DTT and Freesat and superfast broadband but cautioned that slower speed tariffs, including connections considered decent and therefore acceptable under the USO, as well as capacity-constrained technologies, including fixed wireless access and satellite, may be unable to match the quality of service delivered by DTT. The regulator’s main concern, however, was with improving take-up of broadband services by households that are unconnected (estimated at 1.9m at the time) and households that are solely reliant on mobile connections (estimated at 1.1m at the time). Ofcom also discussed the likelihood that additional consumers may face affordability challenges in upgrading their broadband tariff to access speeds suitable for HD viewing.
Familiar digital inclusion concerns will impact an IPTV migration, but Ofcom suggests it could be an opportunity to bring more consumers online
Relating a switch to IPTV to his core message of building trust, Davie highlighted the need to ensure that unconnected or underserved consumers maintain access to broadcast content as a matter of equity and inclusion. Given that both DCMS and Ofcom have identified older adults, individuals with disabilities and individuals on lower incomes as being more likely to lack suitable broadband connections, the equity concerns related to a DTT switch-off align with broader and persistent issues of digital exclusion. In his speech, Davie proposed creating a streaming media device featuring Freely capabilities as a potential solution for some inclusion concerns. He specifically described designing a “radically simplified user interface” that could better support consumers that were previously unconnected and may lack some digital literacy skills. Taking an optimistic view, Ofcom suggested that the IPTV migration could serve as a timely cause for action among consumers that choose not to adopt broadband services at present. While appropriate support would be required for households facing accessibility or affordability issues, the DTT switch-off could provide a specific context through which the broader benefits of broadband adoption are extended to consumers who face longtime digital exclusion.
