Bavarian media authority BLM has encouraged local TV broadcasters to offer their services in high-definition (HD).
“If the main usage of television will be in HD quality in a few years and the first considerations regarding a possible SD switch-off on satellite are already being made today, local TV has to be offered in HD in future as otherwise it would face the danger of considerable loss of reach,” BLM president Siegfried Schneider said in his opening speech at the Local Broadcast Days in Nuremberg.
The situation on cable networks would be particularly challenging: “With the increasing digitalisation of cable, local television has to deal with more difficult competition conditions,” said Schneider. “On digital cable, the local services are currently only provided in SD resolution while RTL which is carrying the local windows is already available in HD quality, but without the windows.”
To evaluate the future of local television, BLM has set up a working group which will present its results at the end of this year.
