Belgian public broadcaster VRT is to sell its tower and transmitter business to a private company in order to comply with the analogue switchover scenario as laid out by the Flemish government. At the moment all transmitters, both analogue and digital, are owned by the broadcaster. The plan is to make DTT frequencies available to both public and private broadcasters and hence the VRT can not also be the owner of the transmitters.
Flanders will switch off its analogue terrestrial television signals at the end of 2008, the Flemish government has decided. It is thought about 60,000 homes will be affected who only receive television over the air. A further 80,000 to 180,000 homes with dual reception mode will also lose their analogue signals.
Currently only the Flemish public broadcaster VRT is available over the air, both digitally and analogue. Private broadcasters, such as VTM and VT4, are distributed via cable and or satellite. After the switch-off licences will be issued to commercial broadcasters as well. Also, mobile TV (using DVB-H) usage is envisaged by Flemish minister of media Geert Bourgeois.
