[cable]

I find the public value case for NGA difficult. Except for perhaps NICAM with Analogue TV, there does not seem to be much public appetite for improved audio unless you are an audiophile. Even when improved audio is available it's usually a premium feature bundled alongside HD/4K.

In professional AV production yes, but you would probably be playing back on professional grade equipment. Domestically speaking, the majority of setups are 2.0, possibly enhanced with sort of sound bar. 5.1ch is not widely taken up and even when it is, people might not have their setups configured optimally. 7.1ch -nope. Dobly Atmos is a marketing gimmick that most people does not really understand what it does. Unless you are an audiophile and have a good home setup, you'd have to be in a cinema with its commercial setup to begin to understand its advantages.

ITV commercially don't seem to be worried they only have 2.0 audio. although Its certainly nice to have. Supporting it through several types of devices and various incarnations of those devices. It seems that this type of thing is trying so hard to be a "broadcast excellence" when everything seems to be moving away from traditional broadcast platforms. Does the BBC need to be guiding the market? In these cash strapped times, Could the R&D be better spent on other things, after all you say Sky is running with it.