From left to right: EBU President Jean-Paul Philippot, European Commission Vice-President Neelie Kroes, EBU Director General Ingrid Deltenre.

EBU President Jean-Paul Philippot and Director General Ingrid Deltenre today impressed upon European Commission Vice-President Neelie Kroes that the DTT platform is crucial for efficient media delivery, at a meeting in Brussels.
                                                                           
Commissioner Kroes, who is in charge of the Digital Agenda for Europe, had sought the EBU’s views on the future of the 700 MHz band in the EU and the implications for terrestrial broadcasting.

She said: “The EU must agree on a common position on the 700MHz band that balances the stakeholders' interests, shows vision and serves the internal market. Spectrum is a precious, limited resource, and it is essential that we consider all sides in every decision. The point of today's meeting was to start engaging in a constructive dialogue with all relevant stakeholders, and to find future-proof solutions that put the needs of European citizens first and maximise the socio-economic benefits for the EU.”

The EBU delegation explained why the 700 MHz band is very important for Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) services.

Today DTT enables 275 million people in the EU to access culturally diverse and high quality content; DTT networks deliver around 2,000 TV channels in the EU, including national, regional and local services.

In the future, DTT will continue to grow in importance as consumers enjoy an expanding and increasingly diverse range of audiovisual media.

EBU President Jean-Paul Philippot said: “Any decision regarding the 700 MHz band should focus on its impact on EU citizens and carefully assess the costs and benefits. Public service media organizations need a clear, long-term roadmap for the 700 MHz band and the future of DTT in order to support successful broadcasting business models and to ensure further investment in innovation and European content.”

One stand-out theme of the meeting was that audiences today also expect access to audiovisual content on multiple, mobile devices. Content produced by broadcasters is a major driver for broadband uptake and an important element to achieve the objectives of the Digital Agenda.

The EBU President and DG described the exchange of views with Vice-President Kroes as “extremely useful”. Commissioner Kroes and the EBU delegation agreed on the potential benefits of creating a platform to develop a shared vision.

Note to the editor:

As European Commissioner for the EU Digital Agenda, it is Neelie Kroes’ role to propose policies on communications networks, content and technology and foster the development of the EU Digital Single Market.

She is currently assessing what steps should follow a 2012 World Radio Conference decision to allocate the 700 MHz band to wireless broadband communications alongside broadcasting services.