The French TV market is preparing to reposition all of its DTT channels currently operating on the 700 MHz spectrum, in order to make way for high-speed internet services.
The move will commence on October 3rd, starting in Marseille and Toulouse, and is expected to conclude in June 2019.
Cable and satellite users in the Paris area won’t be affected, as the HD switchover that took place in April 2016 has already facilitated the necessary changes. However, the 54% of French households (around 11.4 million households with around 26.3 million viewers) still watching TV through an aerial will have to rescan for the new channel frequencies, or in some cases replace their aerials.
The switchover is being handled by public frequency agency ANFR. A broad-range advertising campaign is planned to ensure consumers have all the information they need regarding the switch.
