UK spends less than expected on help scheme, US spends more
Friday, 16 January 2009 15:58
The BBC has said that of the £803m allocated to the digital switchover help and assistance scheme, £250m may remain unspent due to lower than expected takeup of the scheme. However, in the US, higher than expected takeup has outstripped the $1.34bn that was set aside for similar assistance.
The full reasons why takeup in the UK has been low are not yet clear. The report of the Whitehaven DTT pilot suggested that many older people and people with disabilities who were eligible to receive a subsidy on digital receiver equipment neglected to apply simply because they misunderstood the information they were given. But it was also apparent that when the time to switch arrived, many consumers had already switched to Freeview DTT or chose the opportunity to take up a Sky satellite subscription.
In the US, the government has run out of the $40 coupons that it is providing to help towards the purchase of a converter box for watching digital terestrial TV on an analogue TV set. The analogue switch-off, which is due to take place nationwide on February 17th, may now be delayed. Every US household is eligible for up to two coupons and 46m coupons have so far been requested