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4.0 Broadcasting

Overview

There exist three delivery platforms for the broadcasting of radio and television programming:

i) conventional transmission where the licensed broadcasters transmit either radio or television programs to the general public free of charge over assigned frequencies or channels in the appropriate spectrum (AM, FM, VHF, UHF, or L-Band);

ii) over dedicated landline (cable or DSL) or wireless (satellite, DTH, MDS), facilities of licensed broadcasting distribution undertakings (BDUs) who transmit radio and television programming over their network to subscribers of their service for a monthly subscription fee; and, more recently

iii) via the Internet using web-based facilities or sites to subscribers of high-speed or broadband Internet service.

Various models have been developed by the providers to recover the costs of the content that users access via the Internet. These models range from free, as the costs are recovered through advertisements (Joost and Hulu), to subscription based (Jump TV), to pay-per-view (Apple TV).

Broadcasters who produce their own content can broadcast their content over their facilities, use their web-based facilities or use the services of a BDU.

Diagram 4.0.1 Program distribution

This diagram is a pictorial illustration of program distribution discussed in the preceding paragraphs. The diagram shows three delivery platforms that are being utilized by providers of radio and television programming and content - namely BDUs (cable, DLS, DTH and MDS), OTA and the Web based via the Internet. The diagram also shows images of the various devices used by consumers to access the content and programming delivered by broadcasters and broadcasting services - such as, digital radio and television devices, OTA radio and television devices and, desktop computer, laptop, and cellular devices.
  Date Modified: 2009-08-05

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