Russia has completely turned off television. What to do?

Why do they want to turn off analog TV?

About the problems of transition to a new broadcasting format.

Shutdown schedule.

FAQ.

For the first time, information that analogue television would be switched off in Russia appeared two years ago. But the state could not take measures to disconnect it, since most of the country’s population had problems connecting to other types of TV.

According to the deadlines approved by the Ministry of Communications, analogue TV will be turned off in 2021. Until this time, 95% of the Russian population needs to be provided with alternative access to popular channels. This can be done using a cable or satellite broadcast connection. The third option is to buy or rent a set-top box to receive a high-quality digital signal.

European countries have long passed a law on switching off analogue television. The agreement was adopted in Geneva. The competition between two different television broadcasting technologies has become relevant for well-founded reasons. The use of analogue TV lines causes strong interference with digital data transmission. It was decided to release the frequencies that create interference. It is logical that priority was given to the newer broadcast format – digital.

Domestic television content is actively used by analogue television subscribers. It is interesting that in our country the transition to digital broadcasting is not associated with the need to bring television to a new level of development. Analogue television will be switched off in 2021, as the state will stop funding the media through subsidies. Pre-prepared budget proposals have already indicated significant reductions in subsidies. This applies not only to TV channels, but also to news agencies.

I am glad that projects to provide Internet to sparsely populated areas will receive more financial assistance. This will make it possible to use digital television with a large selection of channels without any problems.

According to international agreements, more than a hundred countries have signed documents on switching off analogue TV. At that time, 35% of states had already switched to the new format. Some African countries will take a little longer to complete the transition – up to five years.

Regions that will experience a shutdown on October 14

In April, it was decided to change the date in a certain area from June 3, and now analog television will be turned off on October 14. There are several reasons for the postponement, for example, periods of the summer cottage and tourist season. In most regions, including Moscow, the transition has already been completed, and now it has become clear when analog television will be completely switched off in Russia.

Then viewing analog channels will only be possible using a cable. For example, Muscovites can use analogue cable television even after the date when their “analogue” was switched off (April 14). This is possible thanks to an agreement between the city and cable television operators.

This will help, for example, people who are accustomed to old TV and do not want to replace it with digital TV, as well as those users whose TVs cannot receive a digital TV signal. They can continue to enjoy their favorite shows as before.

Residents of Russian regions, where analog TV is still operating, are interested in what date it will be turned off. There will be a shutdown in six republics:

• Altai;
• Bashkortostan;
• Dagestan;
• Ingushetia;
• Karelia;
• Crimea.

Connecting digital TV will also affect 12 Russian regions:

• Astrakhan;
• Belgorodskaya;
• Volgogradskaya;
• Vologda;
• Kaluga;
• Kursk;
• Leningradskaya;
• Murmansk;
• Orenburg;
• Pskovskaya;
• Saratovskaya;
• Chelyabinsk.

In addition, analogue television broadcasting will be turned off in Transbaikalia, St. Petersburg (St. Petersburg) and Sevastopol.

In 2021, the site smotritsifru.rf launched a timer to count the time remaining before analogue broadcasting of 20 channels is turned off. The timer shows how much time is left for the region in which the contacting user is located.

Russia has completely turned off television. What to do?

Miscellaneous 10/14/2019 | 0

As you know, even despite the rapid development of the Internet, televisions are extremely popular among Russians, on which citizens of the country watch various TV channels in low quality. Many people believe that you can only trust any information from there, and that any information on the Internet is “evil.” Today, October 14, 2021, a truly terrible thing happened for all such Russians, because Russia completely turned off analog television, which had existed in the country for more than 50 years. As a result, citizens lost the opportunity to watch TV channels on analogue networks. Initially, the shutdown of this type of television began in the first half of this year, but it was completely completed only now.

Now analogue broadcasting is forever a thing of the past, because no one is planning to launch it in the future. Instead of this television format, other types of communications will appear, perhaps 6G or 7G in the future. As cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov reported from aboard the International Space Station (ISS), all of Russia has completely switched to digital television, and therefore all TV channels now broadcast only in this format. It is already known that 39 million Russians have already switched to digital television, and all Russians whose TV supports the DVB-T2 format can use it. If suddenly there is no compatibility with this, then nothing will work, but you shouldn’t immediately run to the store for a new TV.

You can buy a special set-top box, the cost of which ranges from 500 to 2,000 rubles, then connect a television antenna to it, and the set-top box itself, in turn, is inserted into an old outdated TV. It is known that almost all TV models produced since 2002 fully support digital television, so modern Russians should not have noticed any problems in the operation of television. However, studies have shown that after switching off analogue broadcasting throughout Russia, up to 30% of the population of all Russia may be left without access to TV channels, because they do not have the opportunity to buy a new TV. In this regard, the Russian government decided to help all low-income citizens by providing a free set-top box.

The switch off of analogue television was planned many years ago, but time and again such an event was postponed in order to give Russians more time to switch to modern digital. In the future, there will be absolutely no point in any equipment that supports only analogue broadcasting, because it will no longer be able to work in any way. It is impossible not to notice that in many other countries of the world they abandoned broadcasting in analogue format more than ten years ago, completely switching to digital. This has a number of advantages, including improved image quality.

Previously, four reasons were given why Xiaomi and Redmi TVs are the best in the world.

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Why is analog television turned off?

Analog television broadcasting involves receiving a signal from a television tower using an antenna. Due to adverse weather conditions and other interference, the receiving device will react negatively to this signal. In this regard, difficulties arise with sound and picture, which poses a significant inconvenience for citizens.

Back in 2009, a decision was made to switch to digital. The final impetus for the shutdown was the government's refusal to finance the distribution of analogue TV. In this regard, old-style television receivers that do not have a special digital tuner will automatically turn off.

This will happen for various reasons. First of all, digital television broadcasting does not require a wide range of terrestrial frequencies, unlike analogue. This is of great importance because our state is large and even now many Russian residents who do not live in a large city have the opportunity to receive only 1-2 TV channels. Moreover, their sound and picture quality often leaves much to be desired.

With the help of the transition, coverage of almost all of Russia by official television channels will be ensured. The number of TV channels will increase, and they will be broadcast free of charge. Today there are two packages of 24-hour TV channels, the so-called “multiplexes”.

What problems can the transition to digital TV cause?

How many problems will the residents of our country face when analogue television in Russia is switched off? This question interests many. It will be most difficult for residents of small settlements.

Providers are not very interested in bringing cable television and Internet to villages. However, the state undertakes to provide high-quality communications in every locality of the country. This will make it easier to use the new television format. To connect it you will need to purchase a special attachment. According to the subsidy, many low-income families will receive equipment for free.

Essentially, TV viewers have nothing to worry about. When switching to digital television, they will have access to watching their favorite channels in excellent quality. In addition, this makes it possible to use one radio frequency spectrum not for one, but for a dozen channels. Switching to cable or satellite TV will not be a problem. Another convenient option is to buy a new TV with Smart TV technology.

This way, when analogue TV is switched off, everyone can choose a different way to watch their favorite channels.

The shutdown will happen in 2021 only if more than 95% of the country's residents have access to mandatory channels. Providers receive an obligation to broadcast free of charge such TV channels as:

• Match TV
• Russia 1
• First channel
• Channel 5
• TV Center
• NTV
• Russia 24
• Russia K
• OTR
• Carousel
• Culture
• OTR
• Ren TV
• Saved
• STS
• Home
• Friday
• Star
• World
• TNT
• Muz TV

New order: why your favorite TV channels disappeared from the usual buttons

For the first multiplex, the infrastructure was built with public money. This multiplex included all all-Russian mandatory public television channels, determined by the decree of the President of the Russian Federation of June 24, 2009. Now these are Channel One, Russia 1, Russia K, Russia 24, NTV, Channel Five, Karusel, Public Television of Russia and TV Center. In addition, the first multiplex includes the sports channel “Match TV”, which will replace “Russia 2” in November.

The infrastructure of the second multiplex has not yet been completed. The second multiplex is commercial. The construction of its infrastructure is paid for by the broadcasters themselves, who were selected for the multiplex through a competition. These are REN TV, Spas, STS, Domashny, TV-3, Zvezda, Mir, TNT and Muz TV. Now the second multiplex also includes the “Sport Plus” channel, on the basis of which the already mentioned “Match TV” is being created. Roskomnadzor has already announced a competition for the position that will become vacant after the reorganization of Sport Plus.

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Last July, amendments to the laws “On Mass Media” and “On Communications” were adopted by the State Duma, approved by the Federation Council and signed by President Putin, which expanded the concept of “mandatory public channel.” Now these are not only the first ten broadcasters determined by presidential decree, but also all participants in digital multiplexes. Cable and satellite operators must distribute all mandatory public channels on their networks free of charge. Now providers must broadcast 20 channels for free. In addition, the law obliges the first twenty positions (buttons) to be allocated to these mandatory public channels in their networks.

Thus, broadcasters from the second multiplex achieved free distribution on cable networks and via satellite, but most of them boycotted the construction of the infrastructure of the multiplex itself.

Problem area

In 2013, all participants in the second multiplex entered into ten-year agreements with the Federal State Unitary Enterprise Russian Television and Radio Broadcasting Network (RTRS), under which they committed to annually finance the construction of infrastructure. As indicated in the reporting of STS Media, this year the company must pay about $4.2 million for the digital distribution of its STS and Domashny channels in cities with a population of more than 50 thousand people, the amount for next year in accordance with the agreement will be determined in October. CTC Media should allocate 1.4 billion rubles in 2015–2018 for the construction of digital infrastructure in cities with a population of less than 50 thousand people. (about $25.6 million at the exchange rate as of June 30).

But STS Media is the only company that regularly pays RTRS for the participation of its channels in the second multiplex; all other broadcasters have accumulated debt to the Federal State Unitary Enterprise, TV channel managers unofficially admit. The receivables of buyers and customers to RTRS in 2014 more than doubled, to 2.6 billion rubles, as indicated in the financial statements of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise. But RTRS is in no hurry to collect debts from participants in the second multiplex: not a single claim against broadcasters has been registered in the arbitration court database.

In response to an official request from RBC about the debt of participants in the second multiplex, the head of the RTRS press service, Igor Stepanov, responded in June that he “does not consider it possible” to comment on this issue, since “this information is subject to a confidentiality regime.” The Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications, which oversees RTRS, does not have information about the debt of broadcasters to the Federal State Unitary Enterprise, as follows from the response of Deputy Minister of Communications Alexei Volin to RBC’s request. The broadcasters themselves also refused to comment on questions about their debt to RTRS.

How to set up digital TV broadcasting

In order to set up digital TV broadcasting yourself, you first need to turn off the power to the TV. Then connect the UHF antenna to the input of a TV that “understands” the DVB-T2 standard or to a set-top box.

After connecting the antenna, you can begin setting up the “digits”.

Having gone into the TV settings, you need to turn on the digital terrestrial television (tuner) mode. And then enable automatic search for TV programs using the operating instructions for the TV. Channels will be automatically tuned and available for viewing.

If you are connected to a community antenna in the house, then your TV itself will pick up the digital signal. Just start an auto-search for channels when digital TV starts working in Odintsovo.

How to set up digital TV from a collective antenna

The main digital television format in the country is the DVB-T2 standard. If the TV was purchased after 2012, then it supports the DVB-T2 standard. To understand whether it is possible to switch your existing TV to digital, you need to open the instructions and see if the technical specifications indicate the presence of a built-in tuner for receiving a DVB-T2 digital signal.

Owners of an old, analog TV model that does not support the DVB-T2 signal need to buy a set-top box. You can buy a digital set-top box in any supermarket in the technology department or in a specialized store. Its price is approximately 700-1500 rubles.

If a collective antenna is not installed on the house, then you will need to purchase an individual one - an outdoor or indoor DMB antenna. When purchasing, you need to take into account the distance of the property from the city TV tower:

— if the tower is only a few kilometers away, an indoor antenna will do;

- if the TV tower is located far away, then you need an outdoor antenna, equipped with an amplifier and installed as high as possible.

Collective antennas are installed on the roofs of apartment buildings, and building management companies are responsible for this. To install systems for collective reception of television programs (CPTS), you need to send an application to the house management company, which will select an organization to install or repair CPTS in the house.

Digital will strangle analogue: look for who benefits. Why are Russians being cut off from analog television?

In three months there will be almost no analogue television left in Russia.
For most Russians, technically, the transition to digital will be almost unnoticeable: the majority either watch TV on cable, or have a modern LCD TV with a built-in tuner (although you will have to delve into the settings and, perhaps, buy a decimeter antenna). They will notice changes later, when for financial reasons some channels disappear, having lost their audience (and, accordingly, advertisers). And a possible increase in advertising prices from a single seller (out of 20 channels of two multiplexes, only three very specific ones - “Russia K”, OTR and “Spas” - do not sell advertising time through the “National Advertising Alliance” (“Culture” and OTR in general commercial advertising are not posted) may already affect the very real, and not television, “picture” of Russians.

But, if the majority does not lose the TV in one way or another, oh the minority of Russians, moreover, those who are usually called low-income and living in the most “bearish corners” of the vast Motherland, for some reason none of the government officials even think about it.

It is simply surprising the carelessness with which the departments responsible for the transition to digital treat those who have not yet purchased modern televisions, set-top boxes, and satellite dishes. Deputy Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Communications of the Russian Federation Alexey Volin in an interview with Izvestia called them “careless citizens.” It is funny and sad at the same time. The logic is approximately the same as that of the regional official who taught her compatriot to live “on pasta.” “Carelessness” is, to say the least, not an appropriate word. People either simply do not know and do not understand what and why they need to do, or they are simply poor. Because the transition to digital began ten years ago, and they had plenty of time. But obviously there is no money. We are talking, by the way, about millions of Russians.

TV is the head of everything

According to the Federal Target Program “Development of Television and Radio Broadcasting in the Russian Federation for 2009–2018”, it was adopted more than ten years ago. The transition of Russians to digital was entrusted to the then First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. At the start of the project, the audience for the figure was scanty, high-speed Internet was expensive, even cable networks had coverage of only 40% of the population. At the dawn of teledigitization, by the way, it was assumed that multiplexes would include five or six channels and that regional broadcasters would also be in the pools.

Over the past decade, the situation has changed dramatically.

There are two pools left, but 10 channels each. The first channels were selected by the government, their signals will be distributed by the operator - the Russian Television and Radio Broadcasting Network (RTRS) - free of charge. In the second pool, the channel must pay for participation - about 950 million rubles. in year. There is no longer talk of creating a third pool - with regional channels. The argument is that the third multiplex will create digital inequality, since in many regions there simply are not enough local TV channels to fill a full pool. And no one wants to allocate funds to eliminate this digital divide. The result was a clumsy “light version” of the third multiplex – “The 21 Button Law.” According to the document, the Roskomnadzor competition commission has identified a local TV channel in each region, which will broadcast free of charge on cable networks on the 21st button. Such a channel must contain at least 75% of nationally produced products and be broadcast in the territory of residence of at least 50% of the region’s population. This can hardly be called an alternative to getting into a digital television multiplex.

There is periodic talk about the “22 Button Law” - the same for smaller TV channels, city studios, etc. “Discussions on the 22nd button are active, but it does not completely solve the problems of regional television channels, just as the 21st button did not solve the problem, leaving other channels behind the air broadcasting. Cable is a way out for regional broadcasting, this is shown by the experience of many European countries, for example, Poland, where regional channels successfully win over audiences from national channels thanks to access to viewers through cable providers,” says Yuri Pripachkin, President of the Russian Cable Television Association (AKTR). .

The State Duma also agrees with him. Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, Information Technologies and Communications Alexander Yushchenko believes that regional media will have to rebuild their format and try to find themselves in cable: “The world and technology are changing, we need to keep up with the times. And the fact that someone can’t cope is not an argument. Competition will still squeeze out of the market those who do not meet the needs.”

Several federal channels are also not included in multiplexes. Some of them will continue to broadcast in analog (their audience will decrease, but belonging to large media holdings will allow them to survive), some will go to cable networks. There they will compete with the already established pool of thematic channels and, perhaps, will be able to find a format in which they will exist. However, rare regionals have their own programming. They simply cannot find quality content for full-fledged competitive broadcasting. At least for now.

With the departure of local television channels for a specific, but rather large audience - the oldest age group - the local agenda will also disappear. And, as the September regional elections showed, it is now very relevant. There is no other means of communication with this audience; in other words, television is still the head of everything in the homes of many pensioners. But this audience is not very valuable for advertisers, but is very interesting for those who want to increase their political ratings.

“The television advertising market used to be inelastic; refusal to work with an intermediary seller deprived the advertiser of access to the target audience. And now the audience, with the exception of very narrow segments, receives information not only from television. Only the oldest generation, which is least solvent, has no alternative. All other categories can switch to other channels where the advertiser can “reach” them,” says Pavel Salin, director of the Center for Political Science Research at the Financial University.

However, the advertiser still does not have to choose in small cities. “Today, there are 42.8 million pay television subscribers in Russia, and there are 54.5 million households in Russia. That is, the penetration level is more than 70%. In small towns it is lower, about 55-60%,” says Yuri Pripachkin. Overboard

Currently, RTRS coverage is not 100%. It will not be so even after turning off the analogue. Approximately 1.4% of Russians (which is about 800 thousand households) are located in an area that transmitting station figures will not cover. The Ministry of Communications proposed obliging satellite operators to provide these citizens with two multiplexes free of charge. However! People will have to pay for the connection and the dish itself. Will they be able to?

But “beyond the numbers,” according to Alexey Volin, there remains a much larger number of Russians. According to him, “less than 10%”, in some regions 2-3%. However, even if we assume that throughout the country only 3% of Russians do not have access to digital television, that already amounts to more than 4 million people. And these are not only buyers, but above all voters!

Volin gives a strange analogy, comparing the cost of a set-top box for an analog TV (not LCD) with a block of cigarettes - the cheapest tuner costs 700 rubles. It is rarely mentioned in the press, but you may also have to change the antenna to a decimeter antenna (from 300 rubles, regardless of the age of the TV). Here it would be more appropriate to compare with the indexation of pensions for 2021 - just about a thousand rubles. It seems we know what retirees will spend it on. Or they won't spend it.

Cui prodest?

According to analytical data, the Russian advertising market has shown double-digit dynamics for the third year in a row (in 2021 + 13% for the first half of the year), which is one of the highest indicators among developed advertising markets in the world. “At the same time, such high growth occurs despite relatively modest macroeconomic indicators in the country. Another feature of the domestic market is the continued increase in the concentration of advertising budgets in just two media segments – television and the Internet – over the past 2 years, their total share in the advertising market has increased from 80 to 83%,” he said at the industry conference “MEDIA FUTURE-2018” in St. Petersburg, director of marketing research at NSK LLC, Sergei Veselov.

Another fact of Russian advertising reality: the NRA seller controls more than 95% of the television advertising market in Russia (including on cable channels)!!!. Will the monopolist benefit from creating a monopoly within two multiplexes? It's hard not to answer this question.

Experts believe that advertisers in such a situation are unlikely to prefer regional TV channels that remain analogous, although the latter’s chances will increase in cable networks: “I’m afraid that the situation will not change radically, since the coverage of terrestrial TV channels is more competitive compared to local television, but in the case more active interaction between regional TV channels and local cable operators - this can significantly influence the decision of TV viewers to choose a local product,” notes Yuri Pripachkin.

However, the Federal Antimonopoly Service has already raised questions about the TV reform. True, so far not about the lack of competition in the market, but regarding the violation of citizens' rights. In September, Kommersant, citing Elena Zaeva, head of the communications and information technology regulation department of the FAS, reported that the FAS wants to receive a schedule for turning off analogue television (it is known, for example, that small towns with a population of up to 100 thousand will be turned off first). However, Volin responded to this that there is no schedule and there will not be. Zaeva, meanwhile, noted that the antimonopoly agency could force RTRS to return analogue broadcasting.

Oh?...

Author: Anastasia Motovilova

Tags:

Media Television Digitalization
[ All tags ]
Date:

15.10.2018

Categories:

Articles about elections | Elections 2018 | General information about the 2021 elections | Society

Source:

Nakanune.RU
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