Channel 4 fa i conti sul disastro DAB: 9 milioni bruciati

Nove milioni di sterline. Questo secondo il Guardian il costo della disavventura nel DAB, la "DABacle", di Channel 4, che ora accusa i suoi soci nella joint venture "4Digital" di non aver fatto abbastanza per il lancio del secondo multiplex nazionale in Gran Bretagna. Del resto tutti i soci avevano i loro bravi guai finanziari. Channel 4 ha deciso che per la sua televisione (quasi un miliardo di sterline di budget annuale) deve tagliare almeno 100 milioni annui di spesa. Con l'affondamento del DAB ha già realizzato il dieci percento di questo risparmio. Ma il chief executive, Andy Duncan, dice che il DAB potrebbe avere un brillante futuro.
Qualcuno telefoni a Duncan per fargli leggere il comunicato stampa rilasciato da Apple questa notte. Nell'ultimo trimestre - e stiamo parlando di mesi morti come luglio, agosto e settembre - sono stati venduti quasi sette milioni di iPhone. Non credo che in tutto il mondo, in quindici anni, siano stati venduti altrettanti ricevitori DAB. La strada è sempre più in salita.

Channel 4: Digital radio misadventure could cost £9m

John Plunkett
Tuesday October 21 2008

The Channel 4 chief executive, Andy Duncan, has admitted the losses from its aborted digital radio adventure may top £9m - and pointed the finger at its 4Digital shareholders for its failure.
Duncan said the costs of the short-lived digital radio project would be "less than 1% of turnover" for Channel 4, which this year was £945m. Channel 4 insiders had previously put the cost at lower than £5m.
He also blamed his fellow shareholders in the Channel 4-led digital radio consortium 4Digital - which include Bauer, BSkyB, TalkRadio parent UTV, UBC Media and Carphone Warehouse - for contributing to its demise by pulling the plug on their own digital radio projects.
"The other partners did not want to launch," said Duncan. This meant Channel 4 was unable to make any money as a "landlord" of the second national commercial digital radio multiplex, he added. Duncan described Channel 4's losses from its digital radio venture as a "relatively small amount". He admitted the total cost was still not known because the broadcaster was yet to make its formal exit from 4Digital. Duncan said it was "frustrating" that Channel 4's digital radio ambitions had been hit by the slump in advertising revenue and need to save £100m a year across the broadcaster's operations.
"My own personal view is that DAB could have a successful future," he told MPs on the House of Commons culture, media and sport select committee today.
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