New TV shift favors low-income homes

THERE’S no stopping the full migration to digital television, as far as the country’s top networks are concerned.

ABS-CBN led the shift to digital TV when it unveiled its plans to the media on Monday.

In a previous interview, network head Charo Santos-Concio told the Inquirer: “Digital television (DTV) occupies less space in the frequency, which means a single TV station can broadcast on more than one channel.”

During Monday’s event, Miguel Mercado, DTV head for marketing, said the network was launching five new channels for every member of the household on free-to-air TV: “Two channels for children; one for the youth; one for dads; and one for moms.”

The network came up with the channels after conducting a four-year study in Manila, Bulacan, Pampanga and Rizal. “We consulted over 1,000 consumers and respondents,” said Mercado.

“Viewers are eager for DTV. They want clear visuals and crisp sound, which DTV offers. They can enjoy digital-quality viewing on any TV set, expensive or not, old or new,” he explained.

Mercado pointed out that the digital shift mainly benefits lower-income households that are not cable subscribers and are dependent on rabbit or baron antennae in receiving signal for their sets.

With DTV, these target audiences need only buy a digital converter or set-up box for their analog sets.

June target

“It’s a one-time purchase and it’s affordable,” he noted. “A DTV Digibox can cost anywhere between P1,000 to P3,000, which is the price of a DVD player these days.”

Mercado said ABS-CBN was prepared to go fully digital as soon as the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) approves the final guidelines (following the Japanese standard) in June this year.

In previous interviews, both GMA 7 and TV5 also expressed readiness to go digital.

“A completely digital operation is GMA 7’s ultimate goal,” Felipe Gozon, head of GMA 7, told the Inquirer.