Over 500 million to watch TV – The World

Each viewer

Spain spent an average of 132 hours to five days and a half-watching television during last March. The idiot box is one of the main leisure activities . And if you still enjoy tap scratching his pocket. The forced removal of channels called digital dividend will force adapt collective antennas about 1.3 million buildings to continue viewing before the end of this year. Each household will spend, on average, about 20 euros.

The so-called digital dividend requires that broadcasters abandon frequency emitted by now to be used by telcos for 4G technology. This change means that you have to adapt broadcast network to ensure coverage and collective antennas . Lived a very similar process in 2010 when there was the change from analogue to DTT.

The Government, at the time, set out to make this change for January 1, 2014, one year ahead of the official date. Now, in the audiovisual sector have clearly not been reached for the next January 1. “We’re very short of time for two long years, the process has been stopped under different pretexts and excuses remain few months and lots of work to do.. antenizar allocate new frequencies,” explains Andres Weapons, CEO Uteca, employers of private channels.

“Lost time is causing serious damage to the industry. Still time, but the government should we have the consensus of all stakeholders,” adds Miguel Angel García Argüelles, managing director of the Federation Telecommunication Installers (Fenitel).

The Government has decided to introduce in the coming weeks the Royal Decree to regulate and reorder the digital dividend spectrum. Despite the disagreement lived between the Ministry of Industry and private TV operators close on May 6 nine channel , including Nitro, Xplora, The Sexta3, or Nine-FDF, both parties are now in talks to seek greater consensus. On the table are several options.

Although until the government does not make public the technical plan can not establish a precise cost estimate from Fenitel for a building type in Spain, consisting of 20 neighbors-five floors and four neighbors per floor- The price of the home for antenizarse would be about 20 euros, “more or less”. This means 400 million for community residents. If you have to adapt collective antennas about 1.3 million buildings, talk about 520 million. This figure may increase. For example, if the reantenización not done all at once, if done at a stage private channels and other public, would have to visit the antenista twice the building therefore double the cost. “ Is important to do everything at once and not in waves ” insist from Fenitel.

The Zapatero government auctioned the place currently occupied spectrum between television telcos, obtaining 1,300 million. Of these, the 800 announced that it would use to pay for this new reantenización and citizens and chains should not pay anything . But when the PP came to Government explained that this amount had been earmarked by the Socialist government to reduce the deficit. Therefore, it is the citizens who have to pay the money reantenización.