Digital Platforms

Arqiva is one of the founding members of Freeview and currently owns the licences for two of the three commercial multiplexes. Through these multiplexes Arqiva provides access for broadcasters to the Digital Terrestrial TV Platform, including the Freeview service, by offering a fully managed service from receipt of your service signal to our multiplex centre in Feltham and broadcast to circa 80% of the UK population. As Digital Switchover continues this will increase to circa 90% by 2012. HD services are expected to join the Freeview line up in Q4 2009.

The continuing Freeview success story

The simplicity of the Freeview proposition has made it the most popular consumer choice when switching to digital TV. By securing a channel slot on Freeview a channel can benefit from access to the most popular TV platform in the UK, with channel audience share typically three to four times that of the same channel on a satellite platform.

Freeview continues to be the most popular TV platform in the UK. Ofcom's latest figures show that Freeview is now in 9.8 million primary households, with an additional 17 million secondary sets.

The success of Freeview is due to the high quality free TV. Through Freeview the consumer has access to 13 of the 15 most watched channels in the UK over any TV broadcast platform. Freeview currently has up to 48 TV and 24 radio channels, which gives the consumer access to a varied selection of high quality content.

Freeview is the fastest growing digital platform in the UK since its launch in 2002. Through continuing investment in the future development of the platform and with the introduction of HD later this year and next generation set top boxes in the not too distant future, this will result in enhancing the platform and ensuring its continued position as the UK's favourite TV platform.

Arqiva currently carries the following TV, radio and data services on its two multiplexes:

TV Channels:

• Sky News
• Sky Sports News
• Sky 3
• E4+1
• Dave
• 4Music
• VIVA
• Ideal World
• ITV4
• Rocks and Co.
• TV News
• Babestation
• Babestation2
• Smile TV2
• Smile TV3
• Virgin1+1
• Yesterday
• Film 4
• Dave Ja Vu
• Russia Today
• Big Deal
• Create and Craft
• Price-drop tv

Radio:

• TalkSport
• Premier Radio
• Absolute
• Q Radio
• Magic
• The Hits Radio
• Kerrang!
• Heat
• Kiss
• Smooth Radio

Data services:

• Inview
• Trove