From Branislav Pekic in Rome:
Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) in Portugal has been a “costly failure”, currently being used by less than 3 per cent of the country’s population and costing RTP €8 million annually.
Speaking before a Parliamentary Committee on Culture, Pedro Duarte, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, admitted that DTT is a project “that did not take off”, describing it as a “brutal burden” that needs to be reevaluated.
He acknowledged that DTT was intended to guarantee access for everyone, but suggested that cheaper and more efficient alternatives may exist. He also highlighted the inefficiency of advertising revenue, pointing out that while it funds DTT, it only reaches 2.1 per cent of the population.
Duarte expressed his desire to free public broadcaster RTP from “advertising capitalism,” emphasising that the planned end of advertising on the channel will not decapitalise the company. He explained that the government is simply shifting the source of financing for 9 per cent of RTP’s revenue.
Over the next three years, RTP will gradually phase out advertising, starting with a two-minute reduction per hour in 2025 and 2026. This transition is estimated to cost €20 million and result in an annual revenue loss of approximately €6.6 million.
