Freeview satellite customers face another 10 years of SD viewing

Tuesday, 25 January 2022

Freeview says the move to HD would be a matter for broadcasters.

Television viewers who receive free-to-air television from Freeview using a satellite dish will have to continue to make do with standard definition broadcasts, after an opportunity was not taken to upgrade the service to HD.

State-owned enterprise Kordia announced on Tuesday that it had renewed its satellite agreement with Australian company Optus, ensuring Freeview would be able to continue broadcasting free-to-air channels via satellite for another 10 years.

Kordia will initially continue to use Optus’ D1 satellite to broadcast Freeview, before switching to its new Optus 11 satellite in 2024.

But Kordia said the new deal would not see Freeview get any extra transponder capacity on either satellite and Freeview’s service would remain “as is” in standard definition.

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Former Kordia chief executive Scott Bartlett, who passed away from brain cancer in 2020, said in 2019 that he would be 'astounded' if the satellite broadcasts didn't at least go HD when the deal was re-signed, suggesting the question was more whether the service would be upgraded to 4K.

Optus’ D1 satellite, pictured here in 2006 before its launch, is used by both Sky and Freeview, but NZ free-to-air broadcasters have only contracted to use one of its 24 transponders.

Freeview is available in HD to the 86 per cent of New Zealanders who can receive its terrestrial service via UHF aerials, and via broadband.

Sky TV satellite customers are also able to receive TVNZ1, TVNZ2, Three and Prime in HD, as Sky leases more transponder capacity than Freeview on Optus D1.

Sky said in 2020 that deal would allow it to upgrade at least some of its satellite channels to 4K or 8K formats at any point over the life of its contract with Optus.

Freeview acting general manager Leon Mead said it was still keen to explore opportunities to upgrade its satellite service to HD, but indicated it came down to the priorities of free-to-air broadcasters.

“It is going to come down the broadcasters. The technology exists to do it,” he said.

Television channel Three owner Discovery declined to comment. TVNZ has also been approached for comment.

Kordia head of media Dean Brain said he was disappointed the move to HD had not happened.

Each channel in HD would require 2½ times the capacity on the satellite of an SD channel, he said.

Dean said he understood one issue for the broadcasters in deciding whether to contract for the extra satellite capacity was that technology was “not moving in the right direction for them”.

“There is a concern that there are a lot of Freeview boxes out there that may not have the ability to do it, so people would have to buy new technology.

“I think that for them is more of a concern than the actual cost of it.”