Digital terrestrial television in Europe

This books explores issues in the development and implementation of digital television in Europe, showing how it is inextricably linked to developments in other forms of digital television provided by cable and satellite services and to government policies designed to promote development and use of information and communication technologies to support European wide and domestic industrial and social policies related to the Information Society. Digital terrestrial television has now been introduced in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Spain, Finland, and Germany. Italy, France, and Denmark are close to beginning the digitalised form of terrestrial broadcasting and the other European nations will initiate systems in the coming years. The experience of the initial countries in which digital terrestrial television has appeared reveals that the transition requires a precarious balancing of government, commercial, and consumer interests. Initial efforts to make the transformation have been far from successful and this book explores the difficulties, failures, and challenges that have appeared.