About 215,000 viewers in Madrid will not be able to receive digital terrestrial television, according to a study carried out on behalf of SES-Astra.
Other areas of the country will also see a similar situation, with terrestrial coverage not reaching everybody due to a number of reasons including interference and uneven terrain.
Among the cities affected are Ciudad Real, where 15% of the population (78,000 people) would not have DTT reception, Toledo (6%, or 40,000) and up to 10% of the inhabitants of the province of Cuenca (9,000).
SES-Astra has called for satellite support for these areas. Pingarrón Miguel, director of business development at SES ASTRA Iberia, said that “government should correct market failures with efficient solutions that facilitate the reception of all households at the best price possible.”
He added: “satellite is the ideal solution for TV and broadband and households without coverage are often lacking both services. ASTRA can give a solution with one single dish that can offer both services.”