The Government tidies up the radioelectric space: own channel for La 2 Cat and TV3 can now broadcast in ultra high definition

BarcelonaThe disappearance of 8TV left orphaned the multiplex that the last Pujol government granted to Grupo Godó so that it could develop its offer of nationwide DTT channels. The current executive has saved the probable disappearance of this radioelectric space under Catalan sovereignty with an agreement according to which it grants the Catalan Corporation of Audiovisual Media 50% of the available frequency, so that it can implement broadcasts in ultra-high definition (UHD, for its acronym in English) and thus compete with the rest of the State's leading channels. Another 25% of this space is given to RTVE to accommodate La 2 Cat. The Catalan-language channel of the Spanish public radio and television broadcaster had until now been broadcasting in a disconnection format using a state frequency. Finally, the remaining 25% remains unallocated, waiting for someone to apply to launch a private channel (and for the CAC, following a tender, to approve it).

The fact that La 2 Cat will have its own channel, which will have to be entirely in Catalan, will mean that La 2 in Spanish will be seen again in Catalonia and both offers will coexist. On one hand, it may be that La 2 competes with its sister channel in Catalan – although this depends on the will of the RTVE programmers –, but it also frees up prime time and hours to be able to offer more content in Catalan, if there is the political will of the managers to do so, expressed in the form of a sufficient budget. In any case, the measure seeks to stimulate the country's audiovisual industry in return and for programs made from Catalonia for the whole of the State to be seen again by Catalan viewers on television.

Regarding the schedule, November 5th is the so-called R-day, when UHD broadcasts are officialized throughout the State and some channels change frequency because the different multiplexes are rearranged. This means that most televisions that receive a DTT signal will have to be retuned. The Government's will is that both La 2 Cat and TV3 in UHD are already in operation by then, even if it is in test broadcast, to be able to take advantage of the information campaign that will be carried out to retune the devices. It will also be then that La Séptima, the new open-air television that the government of Pedro Sánchez has approved, will be launched.