The Spanish government has postponed plans to force DTT broadcasters to use the high definition format until 2024.
Under previous plans standard definition transmissions would have ceased on January 1, 2023. But a Royal Decree approved by Government on Tuesday pushes this back until February 14, 2024.
The decision from the Council of Ministers at the behest of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, has been put down “to an exceptional situation derived from the pandemic, which has slowed down the renewal of the fleet of television sets adapted for DTT broadcasts of high definition”, according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation.
By allowing simulcasts to continue for an extended period it’s hoped that consumers will be able to upgrade their receivers to those capable of picking up an HD signal.
There have been concerns that broadcasters are using insufficient capacity for both transmission formats, which is hoped will be resolved once simulcasts have ended.
