Did you know?

• In the 1930s, the cost of a television receiver was comparable to the price of a small car.
• On September 1st 1939, in the middle of a Mickey Mouse cartoon, all television screens in Britain went blank! The Second World War had begun and the BBC had shut down.
• On June 7th 1946, the BBC returned to the screen. The Mickey Mouse cartoon continued just where it had stopped seven years earlier when war broke out!
• In 1948, the London Olympic Games were the first Olympic Games to be shown on home television, although very few people in the UK actually owned sets.
• Many families bought their first TV to watch Queen Elizabeth the II's coronation in 1953.
• The digital TV switchover is the biggest change in broadcasting since the introduction of colour in 1967.

The digital TV switchover has started! The UK’s existing ‘analogue’ television broadcast signal is being switched off and replaced with a digital signal, region by region. By 2012 the whole of the UK will be digital!

Digital TV is the latest way to broadcast pictures and sound. It gives you all your usual channels and access to many more such as BBC Three, ITV2, E4 and Sky News. It can also give you a better picture and sound quality.

We are switching to digital TV because:

• Switchover makes it fairer - most UK homes currently have digital TV. However, one in four cannot get it via their aerial and many still cannot receive Five. Only by switching off the existing ‘analogue’ broadcasting system is it possible to boost the digital signal and get it to parts of the country that can’t currently receive it.
• Digital TV is more efficient – it frees up airwaves that could be used for innovations such as mobile TV or high definition TV.
• The UK will continue as a world leader – moving to the best possible technology will ensure we continue as a world leader in the field of broadcasting.

There is lots more information on the main Digital UK website, which will help you and your pupils’ parents / carers to spread the word about switchover. The website can be found at digitaluk.co.uk

Questions can also be put to our digital advisors on
08456 50 50 50*.

* Calls provided by BT charged at up to 2p per minute daytime and 0.5p per minute evenings (plus 6p BT connection charge). Rates may vary for calls from other providers including mobile operators.