30,000 homes face €350 bill to get digital TV

Around 30,000 households will face additional costs averaging over €300 to ensure they can still watch their favourite TV channels following the switch off of analogue TV signals on Oct 24.

The Department of Communications has admitted that the 2% of households which cannot receive coverage from the free digital TV service Saorview due to geographical location, will need to access the free-to-air satellite service, Saorsat, or alternatively pay for TV services from providers like Sky or UPC.

It is estimated the average cost of accessing Saorsat, which requires the purchase and installation of a satellite dish and a low noise blockdown converter in addition to the set-top box required for Saorview, is around €350. The set-top box needed to access Saorview costs about €50.