15 Dec 2025
by Lewis Walmesley-Browne

The Future of TV Distribution: An Industry View on Safeguarding UK Audiences

techUK’s Consumer Electronics Standards and Technology (CE S&T) committee, which represents the UK’s leading TV manufacturers and operating system providers, has been an active participant in the DCMS Future of TV Distribution (FoTVD) Stakeholder Forum. Our members are fully committed to building a future-proof television ecosystem that serves all UK audiences, ensuring that the viewer experience remains consistent, universally accessible, and easy to use, regardless of how technology evolves over the coming decade.

However, we must state clearly that the CE S&T committee is unable to endorse the final recommendations currently emerging from the FoTVD process. We believe the forum’s outcomes have been heavily weighted towards a specific direction that does not faithfully reflect the practical realities of the modern TV market or the views of the manufacturers responsible for delivering services to consumers. The current proposals risk replacing a universally accessible system with a fragmented, proprietary landscape that could stifle innovation and reduce consumer choice.

The documents available on this page - an Executive Summary and a complete technical briefing paper - set out the collective position of our CE S&T members. Instead of a forced switch-over to proprietary platforms, we advocate for a transition based on open international standards (such as DVB-I). This approach ensures that Public Service Broadcasting (PSB) content remains prominent and discoverable on every device, preserving the "single list" experience viewers trust while fostering a competitive, horizontal market.

We urge policymakers and industry stakeholders to review these papers to understand the critical safeguards needed before any final decisions are made regarding a DTT switch-off. By pausing to reset the strategy and ensuring full industry participation, we can secure a solution that truly puts the audience first.

Read the full industry position:


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Antony Walker

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Alice Campbell

Alice Campbell

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Edward Emerson

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Authors

Lewis Walmesley-Browne

Lewis Walmesley-Browne

Head of Programme: Market Access and Consumer Tech, techUK