Digital Broadcasting decisions and announcements

Regulatory Review of Digital Broadcasting

Digitisation and convergence between broadcasting, telecommunications and the internet are bringing profound and rapid changes to New Zealand’s broadcasting environment. These changes present significant opportunities for broadcasting consumers in terms of choice of and access to content.

However, the changes also present potential risks to consumer interests in terms of universality of access to a preferred combination of content, interoperability of technologies, and the availability of less commercially viable local and special interest content in an increasingly competitive environment.

These changes also present risks to public service broadcasting, including local content diversity, and to broadcasters’ access to distribution platforms.

The purpose of the regulatory review of digital broadcasting is to examine the current environment and emerging market and technology developments to ensure the regulatory regime for broadcasting is up-to-date and future-proofed for the converging environment.  The review was requested by Cabinet in May 2006 when taking decisions to support the transition to digital television.

Cabinet recognised that digital transition accelerates convergence and changes the business models of, and the competitive relationships amongst broadcasters. For instance, rapidly changing technology and the proliferation of delivery platforms for ‘broadcasting-like’ content (i.e. audio and audio-visual content professional edited and presented, for information and entertainment) raise new issues around the terms and conditions of access for content providers to networks or platforms.  (An example is the use by a network of inclusion or ranking on its electronic programme guide as a competitive tool).

In addition, new patterns of consumer behaviour are emerging in response to the changing environment.  These changes have the potential to affect the availability and accessibility of locally produced and public service broadcasting content.

The review’s terms of reference, published in May 2007, directed officials to consider the issues raised by digital broadcasting and convergence within three broad areas of competition, standards and copyright, and at three points along the broadcasting ‘value chain’: content, distribution, and networks. 

A research report published in January 2008 (Digital Broadcasting: Review of Regulation) examined the changing New Zealand environment and identified a number of threats to an effective broadcasting and telecommunications market.  It also outlined how other countries around the world have dealt with, or are attempting to deal with, these threats. The research was accompanied by a discussion paper, which asked questions about the implications of these changes for New Zealand. Public feedback was invited during the period January – April 2008.  A related paper was also released for consultation at the same time (Broadcasting and New Digital Media: Future of Content Regulation) which specifically canvassed the application of broadcast content standards in the new digital environment.

A total of 85 public submissions were received.

Based on the outcome of this consultation, the Minister of Broadcasting and the Minister for Communications and Information Technology developed a set of recommendations which went to Cabinet on 22 September and which outlined a workplan to undertake further analysis of identified risks.  Detailed options will now be prepared in three key areas of work:

  • a review of the current institutional arrangements for regulation of broadcasting and telecommunications;
  • a competition study to consider potential risks to access to premium content and to platforms; and
  • development of options for enhanced public service broadcasting including diversity of local content, and content standards.

A number of other specific issues will also be the subject of further work.  These include: looking at levels of captioning and other possible enhancements for the hearing- and sight-impaired; media literacy; post-ASO spectrum policy; and investigation of options for the release of content currently ‘locked up’ because rights holders cannot be identified and/or found.

These options, including any proposed changes to current arrangements, will then be subject to a second extensive consultation process.

 

Related Documents:

Earlier documents:

Decisions supporting the launch of free to air digital television

On 15 June 2006, the government announced decisions paving the way for the launch of free-to-air digital television in New Zealand in 2007, thus beginning a 6-10 year transition towards an eventual switch-off of analogue signals. At the same time, a cost-benefit report by Spectrum Strategy Consultants on the launch of digital free-to-air television in New Zealand was released.

Support is to be provided for a combination satellite and digital terrestrial transmission system, managed by BCL and delivered by a consortium of broadcasters known as Freeview.  Government support will be in the form of funding for the Freeview transmission platform over five years, and an allocation of digital terrestrial spectrum without charge during the transition to analogue switch-off. These offers were confirmed and licence renewal policies extended by further Cabinet decisions taken in October 2006.

On 14 November 2006 the government announced its decision to support two new TVNZ digital channels (known as TVNZ6 and TVNZ7) with total funding of $79 million to be allocated over the next six years.  TVNZ6 began transmission in October 2007, following the launch that May of the Freeview platform on DTH (direct to home transmission; i.e. from satellite to dish).  TVNZ7 launched in March 2008.  On 2 April 2008, Freeview introduced its HD (high definition) capable digital service. 

For more information on Freeview, see www.freeviewnz.tv.  For more information on TVNZ’s digital services, see www.tvnz.co.nz.

Digital Television Cabinet papers

The five Cabinet papers relating to digital television (including the rationale for government involvement) are available below, as well as both the full Cost-Benefit report and its Executive Summary.

Please let us know if you have any problems accessing these pdf documents.

The Table of contents and Executive summary for the cost-benefit report are also available in html:

Full table of contents of cost-benefit report (html version)

Executive Summary of cost-benefit report (html version):

Related media releases

Process and Policy for the Transition to Analogue Switch-Off

In May 2006, Cabinet agreed that switching off analogue signals after a period of transition was an objective of the policy of the move to free-to-air digital television.  A discussion paper on analogue switch-off was released for consultation in December 2006.  This process was managed jointly by the Ministry for Culture and Heritage, and the Ministry of Economic Development.  (A table summarising the submissions is available, and this incorporates the emailed responses. Copies of submissions received are also available, except where submitters requested confidentiality or where responses were made in an email only [without attachment]).

Following further meetings with interested parties, officials reported back to Ministers on the outcome of the consultation in April 2007, and the Ministers of Broadcasting and Communications and Information Technology approved an ‘in principle’ approach to managing analogue switch-off.  This approach was published in May 2007.  In October 2007, Cabinet confirmed this approach and made a number of decisions to support the transition to free-to-air digital television, with the objective of eventually switching off analogue transmission signals. 

At the Digital Future Summit in Auckland, the Minister of Broadcasting announced that a final date for analogue switch-off will be announced in 2012, or when digital television is available in 75% of New Zealand households - whichever happens first.

A steering group made up of industry and government representatives will be formed to manage the transition, ensure there is good public information, and address issues of consumer interest before the final switch-off.

The Cabinet paper below identifies clear objectives for the achievement of analogue switch-off. These include the realisation of a ‘digital dividend’ to government through the release of spectrum currently used for analogue transmission. The paper also identifies some aspects of spectrum policy – determined prior to the May 2006 decisions on digital television – which now need to be reviewed in order to ensure their application is consistent with the agreed analogue switch-off objectives.

Digital Television strategy

In December 2006, Cabinet approved for publication a paper collating and summarising the government’s full digital television strategy. The strategy references earlier decisions, including the public broadcasting Programme of Action (December 2004), digital television decisions taken by Cabinet in August 2003, and the series of 2006 Cabinet papers dealing with digital television platform and content issues already published on this website. A copy of the Digital Television Strategy is available below:

 

See also:

 
 

 


 

Page last updated: September 29, 2008

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