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 23 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 Scottish Borders 6 November 2008 20 November 2008 Caldbeck North and Mid-Cumbria, and Dumfries & Galloway 24 June 2009 22 July 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 Hill South Devon 8 April 2009 22 April 2009 Stockland Hill South-west Somerset, parts of west Dorset and south-east Devon, including Exeter 6 May 2009 20 May 2009 Huntshaw Cross North Devon 1 July 2009 29 July 2009 Redruth East Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly 8 July 2009 5 August 2009 Caradon Hill Cornwall and Devon, including Plymouth 12 August 2009 9 September 2009
HTV Wales Transmitter(s) Area served Stage 1 date (BBC Two switched off) Stage 2 date (BBC One, ITV1, S4C, Channel 5 switched off) Kilvey Hill the Swansea Area 12 August 2009 9 September 2009 Preseli West Wales 19 August 2009 16 September 2009 Carmel South and central Wales 26 August 2009 23 September 2009 Llanddona North-west Wales, including Anglesey 21 October 2009 18 November 2009 Moel-y-Parc North-east Wales 28 October 2009 25 November 2009 Long Mountain East-central Wales 4 November 2009 3 December 2009 Blaenplwyf Central and mid Wales 10 February 2010 10 March 2010 Wenvoe South-east Wales, including Cardiff 3 March 2010 31 March 2010
Granada Transmitter(s) Area served Stage 1 date (BBC Two switched off) Stage 2 date (BBC One, ITV1, Channel 4, Channel 5 switched off) Douglas Isle of Man 18 June 2009 16 July 2009 Winter Hill Lancashire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Cheshire and South Cumbria 4 November 2009 2 December 2009
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) Mendip 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) Bressay 5 May 2010 19 May 2010 Keelylang Hill The Orkney Islands 12 May 2010 26 May 2010 Rumster Forest Caithness 2 June 2010 16 June 2010 Eitshal Lewis, Wester Ross, North West Sutherland and parts of Harris and Skye 7 July 2010 21 July 2010 Skriaig Skye, Harris, North Uist, Benbecula, South Uist and parts of Barra 14 July 2010 28 July 2010 Angus Angus, Dundee, Perth and parts of Fife 4 August 2010 18 August 2010 Durris Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire 1 September 2010 15 September 2010 Knockmore Moray, Strathspey and parts of Easter Ross 8 September 2010 22 September 2010 Rosemarkie 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 Point The Channel Islands 17 November 2010 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) Torosay South west Highlands and Islands 13 October 2010 27 October 2010 Darvel Parts of central Scotland, Argyll and Bute 11 May 2011 25 May 2011 Rosneath HP Rosneath Rosneath VP Craigkelly Lothian, parts of Edinburgh and parts of Fife 1 June 2011 15 June 2011 Black Hill 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 Heath Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire 30 March 2011 13 April 2011 Sudbury Parts of Suffolk and Essex 6 July 2011 20 July 2011 Tacolneston 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) Herefordshire and south Shropshire The Wrekin North Shropshire and south Cheshire Waltham 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 Coldfield much of the West Midlands Oxford 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) Belmont Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire 3 August 2011 17 August 2011 Oliver's Mount The Scarborough area Chesterfield The Chesterfield area 10 August 2011 24 August 2011 Sheffield The Sheffield area Emley Moor 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) Hannington Parts of Hampshire, Berkshire and Surrey 8 February 2012 22 February 2012 Midhurst Much of West Sussex 29 February 2012 14 March 2012 Rowridge 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) Bilsdale Teesside, County Durham and much of North Yorkshire 12 September 2012 26 September 2012 Chatton North Northumberland Pontop Pike 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 Mountain South West Northern Ireland 10 October 2012 23 October 2012 Divis Belfast and the surrounding area Limavady 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 Digital terrestrial television in the United Kingdom Digital changeover dates in New Zealand
References
External links Everyone TV (formerly Digital UK) Digital Switchover UK (archived at the Wayback Machine)