Ofcom has signaled its intention to renew Multiplex B on the UK’s DTT system – the multiplex used by the country’s HD channels.
The licence, held by BBC Free-to-View Limited (BFtV), was due to expire in 2014 and has been given a 12-year extension.
Multiplex B is home to BBC One HD, BBC HD (soon to be BBC Two HD), ITV1 HD and Channel 4 HD. Channel 5 is also expected to be added.
As part of Ofcom’s plan to move to Administered Incentive Pricing (AIP) as a means of charging for the spectrum used for broadcasting, BFtV will not be required to pay a percentage of multiplex revenue.
The requirement to submit a technical plan has been dropped, given that Ofcom wants all three multiplexes that carry public service channels to be receivable by 98.5% of the population.
The need to promote the take-up of digital receivers has also been removed.
