1. Digital Terrestrial TV (DTT) – In July 2002, the ITC granted control of the UK’s DTT multiplexes to a consortium led by the BBC and Crown Castle. The BBC and BskyB will supply most of these channels. It is unlikely that there will be room for many new channel entrants in the near future. The platform is called Freeview as there will be no subscription channels on it.
   
   
2. Digital Cable and DSL – In cable TV, video is distributed directly to the consumer’s house by a wired network. The two largest cable companies in the UK are ntl (1.1million digital subscribers) and Telewest (180,000 digital subscribers). One advantage of the digital platform for operators is the opportunity to offer the triple play of TV, Internet and telephony through an integrated digital platform.
   
   
3. Digital Satellite – Digital video is uplinked from a large satellite dish to a satellite, where it is then broadcast to all consumers’ satellite dishes throughout the satellite’s footprint. Satellite is a highly cost-effective method of reaching a large number of people, with the opportunity cost of reaching extra customers being almost zero, and has the bandwidth capability to distribute hundreds of channels. In the UK the only satellite TV provider is Sky Digital, which presently has over 6 million subscribers.
   
   

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