[Technologist]

With the nightlight service closure announced for Freesat I wonder if the BBC might look to do something similar on Freeview. With the BBC channels now being available in HD there's an opportunity to do something similar, perhaps in phases. Perhaps the first phase being to replace the BBC One English regions with a single feed, which may provide some cost savings. Then depending on spare capacity English regional radio stations could move to PSB3, allowing PSB1 to be nation variations only.

One of the many possiblities of the Vaizey plan ..... If everyone cooperated - the PSB muxes could be Regional National and UK wide..
even if some UK wide channels fitted on National muxes etc... And more channels in HD ....
But having worked out options sice 2008 (ie. Before Vaizey) - there are so so so many solutions
and a slight variation in the requirements can throw what is on each mux quite a lot!
(Think BBC 3, BBC scotland, Red button etc)
and then with Both PSB2 and PSB3 being software coded .......!
and PSB 1 C&M rather old..... There can be a lot of fantasies!!

I guess with Freeview a lot will depend on what happens at the WRC-23 (20th Nov to 15th Dec). If they vote not to protect the Freeview frequencies beyond 2030 then it'll greatly affect things. According to www.broadbandtvnews.com  it looks like the EU's position for protecting it "but mobile is added on a secondary level, next to PMSE". If this does get agreed it'll allow more time for DVB-I to be built into TVs as standard, and allow time for people to naturally replace their TVs for ones which support this spec.

DVB-I could come in soon/ now - after all it is just a federated EPG bridging emitted and IP delivered channels.
What will come out of WRC-23 will be a ouline time table to the removal of DVB emssions (Note not TV emissions)
In the UK the Transmission contracts run to roughly 2035 (2010(ish) plus 25 years)
so that is a better date by which time the UK Goiverment may have sorted out if and how (Commercail rather than technical)
any Broadcast emission is to be done - noting that emiittd FAST is unlikely ,
and TV Channels will be a lot fewer as everyone tends to go VOD ..but the Major COBA are likely to have have an emitted barker channel and there will be PSB ( but which and how many channels is anyones guess)....
and mass viewing is a lot cheaper if it is emitted.
The commercial includes if each telco sustains broadcasting to its mobiles or is there a common carrier
and how is handing off done between the 5G version of Unicast and multicast and how does antenna segmentation /sectoristion come in!! )

BUT 2035 is a long way off -- so a lot will change - lets see what a few more years of change will do - say 5 years- before getting too invovled in what needs to be decided.... but it will then need to be!!!