Frequency Change Knocks CTV Viewership

Frequency change knocks CTV viewership By Mike Aldridge: Broadcast Manager CTV

The inception of digital terrestrial broadcasting has hit community television station Cape Town TV hard, with viewer numbers dropping drastically after the channel’s frequency was changed.

Explains Cape Town TV (CTV) Broadcast Manager Mike Aldridge: “The frequency that CTV was using had been earmarked for digital terrestrial (DTT) broadcasting, so when the test broadcasts began in Cape Town, the channel was forced to relocate to another frequency. The problem is that the new frequency, channel 67, is in the upper reaches of the UHF spectrum, which means that the signal degrades faster over distance and so is more difficult for people with older television aerials to receive.”

This snag, combined with the fact that it has taken many viewers some time to re-tune their TV sets to pick up CTV on channel 67, resulted in a huge drop in audience. After four years on air CTV had managed to build a reasonable audience, but after the signal change in march this year, viewership dropped drastically and is only now starting to pick up.

“It’s tragic,” says Station Manager Karen Thorne. “We worked so hard to get our viewership up to a commercially viable level, which is no easy feat for a non-profit channel, when ICASA pulled the rug out from under our feet.”

CTV informed its viewers well in advance that it was moving to a new frequency so it came as a surprise when the channel’s numbers dropped so dramatically after the frequency change. As Thorne notes, “As a result many CTV viewers have had to buy wide-band, outside aerials in order to continue picking up the CTV signal. But this in an investment that many of CTV’s lower income viewers cannot afford.”

The station approached ICASA’s Joint Spectrum Advisory Group (JSAG) in an attempt to get a lower broadcast frequency in April this year. Signal distribution company Sentech recommended channel 32, which is not being used at present but which has been earmarked to carry a third digital multiplex. CTV is currently applying to use both channel 67 and channel 32, until such time as the latter is required for DTT. This will make it easy for viewers to receive the channel on either of the two frequencies.

But the channel is not letting matters rest there, and is acting to get onto the digital broadcast multiplex as soon as possible. Says Aldridge: “We anticipate getting on to the multiplex in late 2012 or early 2013. This will mean that CTV will be seen countrywide at first, until such time as localisation takes place, in which case our footprint will be province-wide in the Western Cape.

“The problem is that set-top boxes (STBs) will only start rolling out in February 2013, so it will take some time for consumers to invest in the new technology. However, digital broadcasting will result in viewers getting a better quality picture on their TV sets, as well as increasing CTV’s broadcast footprint – so ultimately it will be a win-win situation for all.”