Across the globe, nations are switching to digital television at
dramatic speed. The technology was in its infancy in the 1990s, but by
the end of 2012 about half of the world's 1.2 billion TV households had
converted to digital reception and some thirty nations, including the
United Kingdom, had switched off analogue terrestrial television.
In analogue television the broadcasters chose what we watched, when and
where. With the full switch to digital television, and with
broadcasting's convergence with the Internet, we can make these choices
for ourselves. But can we shape those choices or are we at the mercy of
technology and market forces? This book describes and analyses the
digital television switchover with two broad aims: to show how lessons
can be learned and transferred from one country to another, and to
inform public debate about media policy during and after the switchover
process, empowering citizens to influence and manage the outcomes.