The Austrian media regulator RTR is to spend €5 million on subsidising 66,666 boxes at €60 each to encourage the transition to digital broadcasting. Currently, subscribers of 25 operators serving 440,000 of the country’s 1.2 million cable households are able to switch to digital.
The cable boxes in question cost around €125 without a subsidy, and operators will provide customers with vouchers that may be exchanged for discounted receivers from April 1 onwards. LIWEST and ASAK will offer SD boxes at €19.90 and HD boxes at €99 each.
Another programme to help the transition to digital broadcasting is already in place and will run until this October.