techUK, the body which represents the UK technology industry, is launching a campaign to protect viewers from what it sees as a cost on free-to-view content.
It says the campaign is in response to plans by Digital UK to charge manufacturers a per device fee for the integration of Freeview Play technology into TV and STB products. There is no suggestion that viewers will be charged anything directly by the broadcasters that include the BBC, ITV and Channel 4.
Paul Hide, Director of Operations for techUK said: “We welcome the planned introduction of the Freeview Play service as we move towards a new generation of TV user experience and content consumption. We are however, very concerned that the introduction of this service comes at a significant cost to hardware device manufacturers who are already investing in considerable R&D effort to develop new products to meet the Freeview Play requirements.” He said the ‘product levy’ was an additional cost that would ultimately be passed on to the consumer.
A spokesman for Digital UK told Broadband TV News that how manufacturers chose to absorb the fee was up to them. It argued that its members were making a significant five-year investment into the development costs of the platform. “Manufacturers who choose to offer the service are asked to contribute a modest amount to help meet the development and ongoing costs of operating the new platform. This includes access to catch-up players from the main broadcasters and testing materials, alongside Freeview’s marketing support. This approach is not unusual across the industry.”
