The digital switchover was the process by which analogue terrestrial television in the United Kingdom was replaced with digital terrestrial television. It is sometimes referred to as the "analogue switch off".
In the United Kingdom, the terrestrial switchover started on 17 October 2007 and was completed on 24 October 2012. Each group of transmitters within each TV region had its analogue broadcasts switched off at a certain point between those dates. The process was co-ordinated by an independent body, Digital UK (now Everyone TV).
Switchover guide
Stage 1 – Known as DSO1 - Analogue BBC Two and low power digital Multiplex 1 switched off. High power Multiplex 1 switched on.
Stage 2 – Known as DSO2 - All remaining analogue channels and low power digital multiplexes switched off. Remaining high power digital multiplexes switched on.
Switchover dates
These are the dates at which switchover took place in each TV region, as published by Digital UK.
Technical trial
| Transmitter(s) | Area served | BBC One, ITV1, S4C switched off | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ferryside | Ferryside and Llansteffan communities in Wales (approx 1200 people in around 500 properties) | 30 March 2005 | |
| ^† BBC Two was not switched off until 19 August 2009 in conjunction with stage 1 of Ferryside's parent transmitter, Preseli. In addition, the digital multiplexes did not adopt their final transmission modes until switchover at Preseli in 2009. | |||
Border
| Transmitter(s) | Area served | Stage 1 date (BBC Two switched off) |
Stage 2 date (BBC One, ITV1, Channel 4, Channel 5 switched off) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eskdale Green, Gosforth and Whitehaven | Copeland | 17 October 2007 | 14 November 2007 |
| Selkirk Relay transmitters | Scottish Borders | 6 November 2008 | 20 November 2008 |
| CaldbeckRelay transmitters
England:
Scotland:
|
North and Mid-Cumbria, and Dumfries & Galloway | 18 June 2009 | 24 June 2009 |
| ^‡ Digital multiplexes from these three transmitters did not adopt their final transmission modes until switchover at their parent transmitter, Caldbeck. | |||
Westcountry
| Transmitter(s) | Area served | Stage 1 date (BBC Two switched off) |
Stage 2 date (BBC One, ITV1, Channel 4, Channel 5 switched off) |
|---|---|---|---|
Beacon HillRelay transmitters
|
South Devon | 8 April 2009 | 22 April 2009 |
Stockland HillRelay transmitters
|
South-west Somerset, parts of west Dorset and south-east Devon, including Exeter | 6 May 2009 | 20 May 2009 |
| Huntshaw CrossRelay transmitters | North Devon | 1 July 2009 | 29 July 2009 |
| RedruthRelay transmitters | East Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly | 8 July 2009 | 5 August 2009 |
Caradon HillRelay transmitters
|
Cornwall and Devon, including Plymouth | 12 August 2009 | 9 September 2009 |
HTV Wales
Granada
HTV West
| Transmitter(s) | Area served | Stage 1 date (BBC Two switched off) |
Stage 2 date (BBC One, ITV1, Channel 4, Channel 5 switched off) |
|---|---|---|---|
MendipRelay transmitters
|
Bristol, parts of Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire and Southern Gloucestershire | 24 March 2010 | 7 April 2010 |
| Ridge Hill (West) | North Gloucestershire | 6 April 2011 | 20 April 2011 |
STV North (Grampian)
| Transmitter(s) | Area served | Stage 1 date (BBC Two switched off) |
Stage 2 date (BBC One, STV, Channel 4, Channel 5 switched off) |
|---|---|---|---|
BressayRelay transmitters
|
 |
5 May 2010 | 19 May 2010 |
Keelylang HillRelay transmitters
|
The Orkney Islands | 12 May 2010 | 26 May 2010 |
| Rumster ForestRelay transmitters | Caithness | 2 June 2010 | 16 June 2010 |
| EitshalRelay transmitters | Lewis, Wester Ross, North West Sutherland and parts of Harris and Skye | 7 July 2010 | 21 July 2010 |
| SkriaigRelay transmitters | Skye, Harris, North Uist, Benbecula, South Uist and parts of Barra | 14 July 2010 | 28 July 2010 |
AngusRelay transmitters
|
Angus, Dundee, Perth and parts of Fife | 4 August 2010 | 18 August 2010 |
| DurrisRelay transmitters | Aberdeenshire | 1 September 2010 | 15 September 2010 |
| KnockmoreRelay transmitters | Moray, Strathspey and parts of Easter Ross | 8 September 2010 | 22 September 2010 |
| RosemarkieRelay transmitters | Inverness and the Great Glen | 6 October 2010 | 20 October 2010 |
Channel Islands
| Transmitter(s) | Area served | BBC One, BBC Two, ITV1, Channel 4 switched off | |
|---|---|---|---|
Frémont PointRelay transmitters
|
The Channel Islands | 17 November 2010 | |
The Channel Islands' transmitters carry three of the DTT multiplexes – BBCA, D3&4 and BBCB. BBCA carries the BBC's SD channels as elsewhere, the D3&4 mux carries ITVBe (which is on the SDN mux elsewhere) as of September 2022 in place of ITV1 +1 (which is not available on the islands), and BBCB carries BBC HD, BBC One HD and Channel 4 HD (ITV Channel Television does not broadcast an HD version of their services).
Due to close proximity to France, a multi-stage switchover was deemed impossible. Instead, the switchover was done in a single day. As such, all analogue signals were switched off at around 01:30, while digital signals were switched on at Frémont Point before 06:00 and at its relay transmitters before 15:00.
STV Central
| Transmitter(s) | Area served | Stage 1 date (BBC Two switched off) |
Stage 2 date (BBC One, STV, Channel 4, Channel 5 switched off) |
|---|---|---|---|
TorosayRelay transmitters
|
South west Highlands and Islands | 13 October 2010 | 27 October 2010 |
DarvelRelay transmitters
|
Parts of central Scotland, Argyll and Bute | 11 May 2011 | 25 May 2011 |
| Rosneath HP | Rosneath | ||
| Rosneath VPRelay transmitters | |||
CraigkellyRelay transmitters
|
Lothian, parts of Edinburgh and parts of Fife | 1 June 2011 | 15 June 2011 |
| Black HillRelay transmitters | Glasgow, central Scotland and parts of Edinburgh | 8 June 2011 | 22 June 2011 |
Anglia
| Transmitter(s) | Area served | Stage 1 date (BBC Two switched off) |
Stage 2 date (BBC One, ITV1, Channel 4, Channel 5 switched off) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sandy HeathRelay transmitters | Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire | 30 March 2011 | 13 April 2011 |
SudburyRelay transmitters
|
Parts of Suffolk and Essex | 6 July 2011 | 20 July 2011 |
TacolnestonRelay transmitters
|
Norfolk and north Suffolk | 9 November 2011 | 23 November 2011 |
Central
| Transmitter(s) | Area served | Stage 1 date (BBC Two switched off) |
Stage 2 date (BBC One, ITV1, Channel 4, Channel 5 switched off) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nottingham | The Nottingham area | 30 March 2011 | 13 April 2011 |
| Bromsgrove | The Bromsgrove area | 6 April 2011 | 20 April 2011 |
| Lark Stoke | Stratford upon Avon area | ||
Ridge Hill (Central)Relay transmitters
|
Herefordshire and south Shropshire | ||
| The WrekinRelay transmitters | North Shropshire and south Cheshire | ||
| WalthamRelay transmitters | Parts of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and south Nottinghamshire | 17 August 2011 | 31 August 2011 |
| Fenton | Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme | 7 September 2011 | 21 September 2011 |
Sutton ColdfieldRelay transmitters
|
much of the West Midlands | ||
OxfordRelay transmitters
|
Oxfordshire, parts of Berkshire and Buckinghamshire | 14 September 2011 | 28 September 2011 |
Yorkshire
| Transmitter(s) | Area served | Stage 1 date (BBC Two switched off) |
Stage 2 date (BBC One, ITV1, Channel 4, Channel 5 switched off) |
|---|---|---|---|
| BelmontRelay transmitters | Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire | 3 August 2011 | 17 August 2011 |
Oliver's MountRelay transmitters
|
The Scarborough area | ||
| ChesterfieldRelay transmitters | The Chesterfield area | 10 August 2011 | 24 August 2011 |
SheffieldRelay transmitters
|
The Sheffield area | ||
Emley MoorRelay transmitters
|
Most of Yorkshire | 7 September 2011 | 21 September 2011 |
Meridian
| Transmitter(s) | Area served | Stage 1 date (BBC Two switched off) |
Stage 2 date (BBC One, ITV1, Channel 4, Channel 5 switched off) |
|---|---|---|---|
HanningtonRelay transmitters
|
Parts of Hampshire, Berkshire and Surrey | 8 February 2012 | 22 February 2012 |
| MidhurstRelay transmitters | Much of West Sussex | 29 February 2012 | 14 March 2012 |
RowridgeRelay transmitters
|
Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, parts of Dorset, Wiltshire and West Sussex | 7 March 2012 | 21 March 2012 |
| Whitehawk Hill | The Brighton area | ||
| Hastings | The Hastings area | 30 May 2012 | 13 June 2012 |
| Heathfield | East Sussex | ||
| Tunbridge Wells | The Tunbridge Wells area | ||
| Bluebell Hill | North Kent and south Essex | 13 June 2012 | 27 June 2012 |
| Dover | South and east Kent |
London
| Transmitter(s) | Area served | Stage 1 date (BBC Two switched off) |
Stage 2 date (BBC One, ITV1, Channel 4, Channel 5 switched off) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crystal Palace | Greater London and parts of the Home Counties | 4 April 2012 | 18 April 2012 |
Tyne Tees
| Transmitter(s) | Area served | Stage 1 date (BBC Two switched off) |
Stage 2 date (BBC One, ITV1, Channel 4, Channel 5 switched off) |
|---|---|---|---|
BilsdaleRelay transmitters
|
Teesside, County Durham and much of North Yorkshire | 12 September 2012 | 26 September 2012 |
| ChattonRelay transmitters | North Northumberland | ||
Pontop PikeRelay transmitters
|
Tyne and Wear and County Durham |
UTV
| Transmitter(s) | Area served | Stage 1 date (BBC Two switched off) |
Stage 2 date (BBC One, UTV, Channel 4, Channel 5 switched off) |
|---|---|---|---|
Brougher MountainRelay transmitters
|
South West Northern Ireland | 10 October 2012 | 24 October 2012 |
| DivisRelay transmitters | Belfast and the surrounding area | ||
LimavadyRelay transmitters
|
North West Northern Ireland |
Northern Ireland completed the digital switchover on the same day as the Republic of Ireland, with Northern Ireland switching off analogue transmissions shortly before midnight, and the Republic of Ireland shortly after 10am. Viewers in some areas are able to receive an additional multiplex of channels carrying RTÉ One, RTÉ2 and TG4. These are broadcast in DVB-T2, and despite not being in high definition, require a Freeview HD receiver. Viewers in much of Northern Ireland can receive these and other Irish channels directly from Saorview transmitters based in the Republic. As these are broadcast in MPEG4, a Freeview HD receiver is generally required, although a very small number of standard Freeview receivers are compatible. Almost all viewers in Northern Ireland are able to receive at least some channels from the Republic by one or both of these means.
See also
References
- "Selkirk group next for switchover". 29 October 2007. Retrieved 2 November 2007.
- "News & Star". Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 15 April 2007.
- "Digital switchover for Wales unveiled". Digital Spy. 8 August 2008. Retrieved 15 October 2008.
- "Channel Islands' television goes digital". BBC News. 17 November 2010.
External links
- Everyone TV (formerly Digital UK)
- Digital Switchover UK
- "Digital switchover". UKfreeTV. Retrieved 15 April 2007.
- "Digital Television". Archived from the original on 20 April 2011. Retrieved 15 April 2007.
- "Digital TV Group". Retrieved 15 April 2007.
- "Digital TV Cumbria". Archived from the original on 13 January 2009. Retrieved 15 April 2007.