As we already reported in our pages, it was on January 23 that the broadcast of the France 2 channel in Ultra HD on 4K TNT began. Initially, 16 million inhabitants benefit from UHD DTT in Île-de-France, in the urban areas of Bordeaux (33), Nantes (44), Angers (49), St Nazaire (44) and La Roche-sur-Yon (85) as well as in Guadeloupe, Martinique, Guyana, Réunion and Mayotte.
A word to Karim El Naggar, General Manager Audiovisual and Networks TDF££££
“On behalf of all the TDF teams, I am proud of the launch of Ultra High Definition on DTT at dawn of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, with our client and partner France Télévisions, declares Karim El Naggar, general manager of the Audiovisual and Networks BU of the TDF group. DTT is a free method of television broadcasting for the viewer, more ecological and easily accessible to everyone, everywhere in France. It is also a technology of the future to which TDF has been actively contributing for several years. With UHD, we are taking a new step, to respond, with the channels, to the expectations of the French, to new uses and modes of consumption of television.
TDF-Ifop barometer, 62% use DTT to watch television££££
This launch of France 2 UHD, and soon France 3 UHD, comes at the right time given today's publication of latest TDF-Ifop barometer (see illustration above) which tells us that 62% of French people use DTT to watch television. 58% from the main television in the home (23% without a box, 35% through a box), 3% using it only from the secondary TV.
Namely, the French are attached to DTT, 57% of them consider it important to receive DTT in their home. Another interesting figure, 68% of French people with so-called functional access to DTT (antenna + antenna socket) would be bothered by no longer being connected to DTT. Despite numerous previous communications on the ever-increasing dominance of boxes in homes, we are not far from a declaration of love by the French for DTT who are keen to keep it for watching television channels.
The floor, once again, to Karim El Naggar, General Director of Audiovisual and Networks TDF££££
“This new study reaffirms the relevance of the TNT platform in the audiovisual sector. If the interest and attachment of the French remains so strong for digital terrestrial television, it is because TDF and its partners have been able to make it a resilient technology which meets the expectations of users and which adapts to the latest innovations. The recent arrival of Ultra High Definition is a key and decisive step for DTT. Free, accessible to all and of quality, the TNT platform represents a societal challenge for audiovisual and cultural creation. It is also a more ecological and less energy-intensive method of receiving television than reception via internet networks. For all these reasons, the TDF teams have been invested and mobilized for years to contribute to its technological development.
How to receive France 2 UHD££££
As a reminder, to benefit from French broadcasting 2 UHD, users with a compatible television must carry out an automatic or manual search for the channels on their set (channel 52 in mainland France and channel 22 in Overseas). As already mentioned in our news on the subject, this is only a first step before the start-up of other transmitters in mainland France and overseas until June 2024. These will ultimately cover around 70% of population. Finally, note that France 3 will also be available in UHD from July 2024.