The Digital Switchover Help Scheme Nick Tanton BBC

The Switchover Help Scheme • In 2005 the UK Government asked the BBC to manage a scheme to ensure that older and disabled people are not left behind as the country switches to digital television. • UK is switching to digital television region by region between 2008 and 2012.

Purpose of Scheme • To provide practical help to older and disabled people to make the switch to digital TV. • To make sure no eligible person is left with a blank screen after switchover.

Who is eligible ? People are eligible for help if : • they are aged 75 or over, • they have lived in a care home for 6 months or more, • they get “Disability Living Allowance”, “Attendance Allowance”, “Constant Attendance Allowance” or “Mobility Supplement”, or • they are registered blind or partially sighted.

What help do eligible people get ? People who choose to take help get : • a choice of easy-to-use DTV equipment, • installation of the equipment and a demonstration of how to use it, • a new aerial or dish if necessary and • free aftercare for 12 months.

How much does it cost ? • Support from the Help Scheme costs £ 40 for the standard offer although this is free to eligible people who are on various forms of income benefit. • The Switchover Help Scheme is run by the BBC through an agreement with the UK Government. It is funded out of the BBC licence fee.

Consultation • Understanding and fulfilling the needs of our eligible people • Code of Service Standards - a comprehensive range of 91 promises of the service eligible people might expect (eg. all calls handled by trained people, choice of formats for communications, face-to-face help if needed etc. ) • Continual stakeholder consultation and user feedback • Regular market research • Understanding those hardest to reach

The scale of the Scheme • commenced in 2007 • switchover in the UK runs from 2008 until 2012 • there are 15 regions (7 completed by May 2011) , • an estimated 7 million eligible people • so far over 5. 5 million have been mailed • over 700, 000 installations have been completed • we’re currently doing > 30, 000 per week • we expect to have done a total of more than >1. 6 million by the end of 2012

The Customer Journey

The equipment (1) • designed with our eligible people in mind • the “Core Receiver Requirements”* specification sets a standard of user-experience without constraining innovation or commerce • straightforward and easy to use and to support postinstallation * developed in consultation with stakeholder groups such as RNIB, RNID, Age UK etc

The equipment (2) • universal remote with a premium standard of useability • user-feedback (visual and audible) • clear, short and uncluttered menus • platform compliant • value for money

Universal remote • high-contrast buttons with a positive feel • well-separated buttons • buttons grouped by function • one-touch subtitles • one-touch AD • a “home” button

User-friendly service discovery (1) • Retuning is already a recognised challenge to all TV viewers. • A significant number of viewers get some DTT signals before their analogue TV signals are switched off. • Transmitter frequency & power changes, service moves and the addition of new services present an unaccustomed broadcast environment for the viewer, especially to our eligible people. • How do we make retuning easy ?

User-friendly service discovery (2)

User-friendly service discovery (3)

User-friendly region selection (1) • DTT signals know no frontiers. • It has been estimated that over 600, 000 households in London alone can see DTT signals from more than one transmitter. • Of these it is estimated that over 400, 000 households can see DTT signals from more than one TV region. • How do we make it easy for you to choose your preferred version of a regional channel ?

User-friendly region selection (2)

Set-top boxes

In summary • Accessibility and useability features don’t have to be expensive. • Although the Switchover Help Scheme focuses on part of the population, the features we have encouraged and developed suit everyone. • There is a wealth of experience in delivering an improved user-experience to the domestic TV environment. nick. tanton@bbc. co. uk