Digital Television Auction Ended

10.06.2014

Following the digital television auction, three multiplexes were awarded to the National Broadcasting Company S.A., for EUR 1,020,002 (licence fee). The company won the multiplex under the free to air broadcasting obligation and two other multiplexes in the UHF band.

The licence fee is to be paid within 90 calendar days, whereupon ANCOM will grant the National Broadcasting Company the licences for the use of the radio spectrum for the purpose of operating the three digital television national multiplexes. The licences cover a ten-year period and will entry into force starting 17 June 2015.

By means of the first multiplex in UHF (MUX 1), free-to-air, the National Broadcasting Company will have the obligation to broadcast, under transparent, competitive and non-discriminatory conditions, the public and private television stations that are currently broadcast in analogue terrestrial system, in accordance with the provisions of the Audiovisual Law. Moreover, this multiplex will have to ensure a coverage, in fixed reception, of 90% of the population and of 80% of the territory by 31 December 2016

For the other multiplexes won, the National Broadcasting Company will have the obligation to launch in operation - by 1 May 2017 - at least 36 emission stations for each of the networks corresponding to these multiplexes, installed one in each allocation area.

In Romania, the digital switch-over shall be completed by 17 June 2015, according to the 2006 Geneva Agreement signed by Romania and to the Strategy approved by the Government. On 17 June 2015, all analogue terrestrial broadcasting will be switched off and replaced by the digital terrestrial broadcasting of TV programmes and related multimedia services.

A digital multiplex is a group of radio broadcasting and television programmes, additional multimedia services and other associated identification data transmitted from the emission stations to the end-users by terrestrial radio means, using digital modulation within the limits of a standard television channel/frequency block.