The German media authorities have called for analogue switch-off on the country’s cable networks in 2018 at the latest.
The appeal follows discussions the media authorities held with public and commercial TV broadcasters, cable operators, the housing industry and tenants’ associations in January 2016 regarding the transition from analogue to digital.
The discussions showed that it will be very difficult – in contrast to DTH satellite reception – to reach a universal analogue switch-off date due to the heterogeneity of the cable market, said Siegfried Schneider, chairman of the media authorities’ directors’ conference (DLM), at its latest assembly.
There would also still be different opinions regarding the process of achieving full digitalisation, Schneider added. He called for all market players to support the joint target of analogue switch-off in 2018.
German cable operator association ANGA and industry group ZVEI-Fachverband Satellit & Kabel support analogue switch-off in 2018. According to the media authorities’ digitalisation report 2015, 4.5 million households still just use analogue cable television, corresponding with 27.5% of cable households.
