Digital TV Guides

Digital TV switchover dates

Updated: Monday 2 August, 2010

By Becca Talbot - becca@consumerchoices.co.uk

When your home switches to digital will depend on where you live in the UK. The switchover is happening TV region by TV region, beginning in 2008 and ending in 2012.

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The UK digital TV switchover began in 2008 with the Scottish Borders and Cumbria regions. Since then, analogue signals around the country are gradually being switched off and replaced with a digital signal, carrying many more channels, instead.

This is a process that a number of other countries are also going through since the digital signal is better and more economical that the old system that has been running for the last 80 years.

The analogue signal will be switched off according to ITV region - the whole of the UK won’t be switching at the same time. The switchover will end in 2012 with the Meridian, London, Tyne Tees, Ulster regions.

You can find out which area you’re in by seeing which ITV news service you receive. Once you know, check the list below to see when your area is due to switch:

• Border - 2008/09
• Granada - 2009
• West Country - 2009
• Wales - 2009/10
• Scottish TV North - 2010
• West - 2010
• Scottish TV Central - 2010/11
• Anglia - 2011
• Central - 2011
• Yorkshire - 2011
• London - 2012
• Meridian - 2012
• Tyne Tees - 2012
• Ulster - 2012

It’s important to note that these switchover dates only correspond to the standard definition digital TV rollout - high-definition (HD) TV will be rolled out separately, with some areas already able to receive four HD channels from Freeview.

Use our HD coverage postcode checker to see whether you can already receive Freeview HD - and if not, when it will become available.