BBC Trust to be approached for HD roll out

Reports suggest that the BBC is to request its Trust approves an extension of its HD service once the initial trial ends in June.

If it were to go ahead, the Trust would conduct a public value test, in much the same way as it did recently for the BBC's on-demand TV services.

BBC HD chief Seetha Kumar, speaking at the Broadcast HD Here and Now conference said that though the BBC had aspirations for the service to be universally available "on all technically capable platforms", including the digital terrestrial platform, additional broadcast capacity would be required to accommodate five HD channels, the number viewers will find an attractive proposition, according to research.

Media regulator Ofcom would be asked to look at the possible impact a BBC HD service would have on commercial rivals, while the Trust would look at the public value such service would create. Following a consultation, a final decision would be expected in the autumn.

Kumar added that there was a case for regulator Ofcom to consider reserving some of the digital dividend spectrum for HD channels in order to safeguard the future health of Freeview.

The BBC is a member of the HD for All alliance, which is currently lobbying ministers over the HD spectrum issue.

Nearly 4,500 people have now signed an electronic petition calling on Tony Blair to force Ofcom to allocate the unused radio spectrum after the analogue switchover to HDTV services. The e-petition on the 10 Downing Street web site closes today.