As the broadcast industry charts its course towards a digital-first future, linear streaming services are emerging as a viable successor to traditional terrestrial television. Tracing the evolution of digital terrestrial television (DTT) and direct-to-home (DTH) platforms offers valuable lessons on how the transition can be managed without leaving any viewer behind.
This shift is especially significant as public broadcasters worldwide struggle to sustain their over-the-air (OTA) satellite and terrestrial television services. They cannot simply switch off all analogue or digital terrestrial broadcasts, as a substantial share of audiences still rely on free-to-air (FTA) terrestrial broadcast services.
The BBC has identified three groups most at risk of digital exclusion: the unemployed (limited by affordability), people with disabilities (facing accessibility barriers), and those over 75 (often lacking digital confidence).
Without targeted support, these groups, representing around 1.5 million households, could be left behind when traditional broadcasting eventually winds down.
Globally, the challenge is even greater. More than 2.6 billion people still lack access to broadband or the internet. Yet while some countries have begun rolling out linear streaming services, others are only starting to explore viable transition models.
At IBC 2025, I moderated a panel session produced for the Media Technical Network of the Institution of Engineering & Technology (MTN-IET) in the UK, exploring the global evolution of television services. The discussion covered markets transitioning to IP streaming delivery as well as those still migrating from analogue broadcasting.
Across numerous industry forums, industry conversations continue to highlight television’s profound and complex impact on society, encompassing both its benefits and its shortcomings. Our panel examined the latest developments in TV services worldwide and considered what the future may hold.
Common television broadcasting services have been operational for nearly a century. While technological progress was slow in earlier decades, the pace of innovation has accelerated in recent years. Past changes were revolutionary, whereas today’s advancements are more evolutionary.
Television has evolved from the electro-mechanical Nipkow disk into a sophisticated ecosystem encompassing capture, distribution, and consumption. Recently, industry discussions during seminars, conferences, and workshops have focused on the future of broadcasting, exploring operational models, workflows, and funding structures for modern television services.
The following examines how the television broadcast industry has transitioned from analogue to digital, and more recently from Digital 1.0 to Digital 2.0 for OTA transmission over the four decades. Until the mid-2000s, analogue terrestrial broadcasting offered affordable, accessible services to all citizens. While satellite broadcasting can achieve full geographic coverage, factors such as cost, equipment, and space can limit accessibility for many viewers.
Digital satellite broadcasting as a direct-to-home (DTH) service emerged in 1995, while the transition from analogue to digital terrestrial television began around 2000, with analogue switch-offs starting in the early 2010s. Until then, terrestrial and satellite OTA services dominated broadcast distribution, though the mid-2000s also saw the rise of Internet-based audio and video sharing.
During any technological transition, whether analogue to digital or digital to next-generation digital, content is often simulcast on both the old and new platforms. Simulcasting requires extra resources, adding cost. Typically, once the new service is widely accessible, the previous platform is gradually switched off.
The ATSC standards were developed in the early 1990s by the Grand Alliance, a consortium of electronics and telecommunications companies, to define what is now HDTV. ATSC gradually replaced the analogue NTSC system — in the United States on June 12, 2009; Canada on August 31, 2011; South Korea on December 31, 2012; and Mexico on December 31, 2015.
In the US, the digital television transition marked the full switch from analogue to digital terrestrial broadcasting. Originally scheduled for December 31, 2006, the transition was delayed several times due to government legislation affecting broadcasters.
Technology adoption can span over a decade, with complete switch-offs often taking more than 20 years. In the United Kingdom, the terrestrial digital switchover started on 17 October 2007 and concluded on 24 October 2012. Analogue broadcasts from each transmitter group were phased out region by region, coordinated by the independent body Digital UK (now Everyone TV).
Terrestrial services give countries sovereign control over content and distribution. Ongoing discussions focus on how nations can maintain control over content, privacy, and data while distributing programming.
Broadcasters have also noted that some media distribution services are unprepared to collaborate fairly. There is a common misconception that social media can replace traditional broadcasting. While over-the-top (OTT) platforms can deliver select movies or documentaries, they cannot provide the local, live, and diverse content, including news, sports, and educational programming, needed by the majority of a country’s population.
Technological transitions typically take six to seven years or more before the previous service can be fully switched off. During the analogue terrestrial television (ATV) to digital terrestrial television (DTT) transition, viewers relied on set-top-boxes until televisions with built-in receivers became available, a method adopted by broadcasters worldwide.
In September 2025, the BBC announced plans to introduce its own simple streaming box. The device, designed specifically for viewers who find modern streaming technology overwhelming, represents a separate, simplified solution aimed at making streaming more accessible.
As noted in my previous APB+ articles, Freely is an online service currently accessible via new TVs designed to replace traditional Freeview and Freesat DTT and DTH services in the UK.
The ambitious goal of Everyone TV, Freely’s operator, is to eventually replace traditional free-to-air DTT and DTH services entirely with Internet-based delivery.
Rather than relying on aerials or satellite dishes, Freely streams live channels and catch-up content directly to UK televisions. Since launching in April 2024, the service has gradually expanded its line-up to include BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, and around 40 other broadcasters.
A key challenge in any technological transition is the capability of existing televisions. Initially, Freely worked only on brand-new smart TVs from select manufacturers, meaning viewers had to purchase a new TV just to access the platform.
That changed in August 2025 when Everyone TV launched the first standalone Freely device, a streaming-only box with no aerial port, making the service accessible without buying a new television.
This aligns with the BBC’s goal of introducing a streaming media device with Freely-like capabilities and a radically simplified user interface, aimed at viewers who have yet to benefit from IP services.
In a recent digital inclusion policy document, the BBC referenced this new device, emphasising accessibility and simplicity to serve those currently underserved by digital services. Importantly, it is a separate, standalone device.
The UK regulator OFCOM recently released a report, which we will review in due course, exploring its findings on how to make a streaming-only transition practical, fair, and manageable.
As noted earlier, if the 1.5 million households at risk were given support similar to that provided during DTT transitions, as has been done in the UK and elsewhere, traditional broadcasting could eventually be phased out worldwide.
With traditional broadcasting continuing to give way to streaming, ensuring accessibility and fairness will determine the future of television for everyone.
Dr Amal Punchihewa,
Executive Member, Media Technical Network, IET, UK.
Distinguished Lecturer, IEEE (USA) – Broadcast Technology Society.
