There is time for the final switch off, but in the meantime, channels are still being moved from one Mux to another and Muxes are being switched off with scrapping. Here are the latest news from North to South.
Despite the postponement to mid-October of the start of the switch off to the second generation Digital Terrestrial Television (DVB-T2), there continue to be small and large changes in the names and LCNs of television channels. Changes that, in all likelihood, were planned even before the postponement.
The most important news is in Southern Italy, with the final closure of the Mux Telepuglia Italia, which switched off the repeaters and completed the scrapping procedure. Most of the broadcasters that transmitted from this Mux have been moved to other regional Muxes, but some have closed down completely and others are still waiting for reallocation. For the rest, these are routine changes, deriving from the old Government roadmap calendar which, in the light of the new dates, now makes little sense. Local broadcasters, also for this reason, are anything but favorable to the postponement of the switch off, given that most of their economic efforts in recent months have been practically nullified. In the meantime, digital terrestrial users are waiting to see what will really happen in the coming months.
Digitale terrestre: news from North to South
The channel Motor Trend Provisional has disappeared from the national Mux Timb 2, while in the Mux Rete A 2 Fascino TV (ex LCN 231) has disappeared and SoloCalcio takes the place of Canale 61 on LCN 61.
In the interregional Mux Studio 1, which broadcasts in Lombardy, Veneto, Emilia Romagna, Piedmont and Valle d'Aosta, the Donna Shopping channel has changed its logo: the words "Canale 182" have been removed. The same channel also broadcasts on the national Mux Dfree, but with different programming and numbering (LCN 255). Also in this case the reference to the channel has been removed.
In Lombardy, in the Mux Telestar, the broadcaster PrimaRete changes its name and becomes TeleShopping, but continues to broadcast on LCN 173 and 184 (duplicated), while Funky Corner Radio has been added to the Mux Radio DAB.
In Apulia, on the other hand, goodbye to the Mux Telepuglia Italia, which has been scrapped according to the procedure laid down by the Ministry of Economic Development. Most of the stations broadcasting from this Mux have moved to the Muxes of Telenorba, Teledehon and Antenna Sud.
Telepuglia 9 and Teledauna have closed their doors, while Esse Network, Canale 21, Telepace and Radio Centro Locorotondo are waiting to move to other Muxes.
Digitale terrestre: when DVB-T2 arrives
As already mentioned, all the changes made in the last months were aimed at the transition to the DVB-T2 standard, whose first step, according to the old roadmap, was scheduled for September 1st and has now been moved to October 15th. The new procedure will be much slower than the previous one.
The deadline for the final switchover to the second generation Digital Terrestrial Television has in fact been set for January 2023 and, what is more, the switch off will no longer be compulsory but optional. This means that broadcasters will be able to decide to continue transmitting with the current standard, technologically obsolete, and that all the efforts made by those who have already upgraded their systems have been in vain.
There is also a question to be asked: those who have scrapped their frequencies because they did not consider it advantageous to invest in DVB-T2, would they have done so anyway if they had known that they were not really obliged to do so?