Digital Broadcasting decisions and announcements

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 being 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 is 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.

Decisions supporting the launch of free-to-air digital television (including spectrum issues and support for TVNZ digital services) - 2006
Analogue switch-off following a transition period
Digital television strategy (a paper summarising and collating relevant strategy).
Digital Broadcasting Review of Regulation Volume 1* (pdf, 5mb) - see also Executive Summary of Volume 1 - 2008 (html)

Digital Television Cabinet papers - 2005

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

Government backs TVNZ's move into digital (Hon Steve Maharey, 14 Nov 2006)
Free-to-air digital TV to begin roll-out next year (Hon Steve Maharey, 15 Jun 2006)

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 has been 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.

See related Cabinet paper on the ASO switch-off (pdf)
See related media release from Hon Trevor Mallard (Beehive website)
See related speech from Hon Trevor Mallard (Beehive website)
Discussion paper on analogue switch-off (pdf, 105k)
The agreed in-principle approach to managing the transition to analogue switch-off (88k, pdf)
The agreed in-principle approach to managing the transition to analogue switch-off (html)

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:

Digital Television Strategy (pdf, 120k)