Hungary prepares for digital broadcasting

György Kovács, the president of the Hungarian National Radio and Television Commission (ORTT), has told Broadband TV News that the country is likely to have a full digital strategy in place by the second half of July. The first step was taken earlier this week, when parliament approved the launch of DTT services. A tender for the right to operate up to four multiplexes will take place this autumn, with the winner then selecting what channels will be carried. However, most of the first multiplex will already be reserved for existing services (M1, M2, Duna TV, RTL Klub, TV2, HirTV, ATV and a new national commercial channel) and part of the second for mobile TV. Hungary plans to shortly pass a new media law and is aiming to complete the transition to digital broadcasting in 2010. In another important development, the Hungarian parliament has overturned a controversial rule limiting the maximum number of subscribers any cable operator can have to a third of the population.