Digital terrestrial television (DTT) is losing ground to satellite, ADSL and fibre. However, for media historian Alexis Lévrier, this decline does not mean the end of traditional television, which will continue to evolve as practices evolve. Interview.
It is undeniable that digital terrestrial television (DTT), once the dominant reception method in France, is gradually being replaced by other alternatives such as satellite, ADSL and optical fiber.
A significant development since the rate of households receiving television via DTT fell from 67% to 50.8% between 2010 and 2017, explained a study by Arcom published on May 22, 2018.
The Canal + case, a “coherent bet based on the future”
“The aging of television is inevitable”, recalls media historian Alexis Lévrier. However, media developments occur over time. While internet boxes are increasingly used today to access television channels, for example, they may gradually be abandoned later, in favor of other practices and other accesses, he indicates.
The Canal + case is interesting here because by leaving DTT, the channel made “a coherent bet based on the future”, observes Alexis Lévrier. His idea “is to transform itself into a Netflix-type platform that can be accessed via a box or content platform”, explains the researcher.
A logical choice given the increase in the use of internet boxes but also because the younger generations have already largely turned away from television, which they prefer to consume on social networks “through short, pre-cut sequences”, notes the media historian.
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000“An audience that has aged will remain faithful to its habits”
It is of course possible that DTT will be increasingly deserted by viewers over time, but “we have to think about the weight of habits”, reminds Alexis Lévrier.
DTT is still widely acclaimed by the French today, as evidenced by the latest TDF barometer carried out by Ifop, which notes that in 2024, nearly 57% of French people considered it important to receive DTT at home and 62% used it as a means of receiving television.
It is obvious that the audience for television channels, in particular information, has aged enormously, “however, an audience that has aged will remain faithful to its habits”, recalls the researcher, certain that television will remain an influential medium “that will not disappear overnight”.
“The weight of History”
While we are witnessing strong and sometimes spectacular developments with digital technology, it is very rare for a medium to disappear, indicates the researcher.
On the contrary, “a medium will keep a place and reinvent it, explains Alexis Lévrier. This is what will happen with the television. There will be other ways to access it, in particular through the deferred broadcasting that is currently being set up”.
“Traditional access to channels will continue for several more years. And the place on the schedule will be of enormous importance for the prestige and for the circulation of new media and new formats such as podcasts on the radio”, thinks Alexis Lévrier, who reminds us that there will always be “the weight of History”.
DTT, how does it work ?
Launched in 2005, Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) works through the terrestrial broadcasting of digital signals, emitted by relay antennas. These signals are picked up by an external or internal antenna, connected directly to the television. Each television must be equipped with a socket to receive the signal via an adapter or an integrated receiver.
Unlike television via an operator's box (Orange, Free, SFR, etc.), DTT does not require an internet connection, which makes it accessible even in remote areas. It also covers 97% of the population thanks to its 1,626 transmitters, and the channels are accessible free of charge, with the exception of paid options requiring a decoder.
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