A £300m ad campaign to advise viewers about analogue switchoff and digital switchover plans will begin next month, according to Broadcast.

The trade publication reports that SwitchCo, the organisation formed to oversee the changeover, will launch generic adverts on a national basis but will add localised ads in specific ITV regions as they approach switchover.

The tentative timetable for switchover by ITV region is:

2008: Border, Westcountry, HTV Wales
2009: Granada, HTV West, Grampian TV, Scottish TV
2010: Central, Yorkshire, Anglia
2011: Meridian, Carlton/LWT, Tyne Tees, Ulster
2012: Channel

The first localised ads will run in the Border region, which is expected to begin the switchover process first.