Arqiva response to DCMS Green Paper

23 June 2026Arqiva notes publication of UK Government Green Paper on the future of TV distribution

Arqiva, the UK's leading communications infrastructure provider, welcomes today's publication by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) of its Green Paper, Watch this Space: A new strategic direction for UK media.

The Green Paper marks an important step in a multi-year consultative process to determine how television services will be delivered across the UK in the years ahead. It outlines options to further extend Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) to 2044 or alternatively pursue an accelerated switch off. This signals the beginning of a period of consultation on these two options. No final decision has been made at this stage.

Arqiva has been actively engaged in this debate and has put forward a practical, fully-costed and evidence-based proposal for a managed and phased transition to 2044 that maintains the benefits of broadcast while enabling continued innovation through internet-delivered services.

Shuja Khan, Chief Executive of Arqiva, said:

"Today's Green Paper is an important step in shaping the future of how television is delivered in the UK for a generation. It rightly allows the evidence to be evaluated through a full consultation process before any final decision is taken.

"This is not a theoretical debate - it is a long-term national infrastructure decision with real-world consequences. If we get this wrong, the risks will be felt by millions of households and across the wider media ecosystem.

 "The priority now is a clear and credible plan. One that sets out when the right conditions will be in place, including affordability, universal access, and the level of infrastructure resilience people expect - all of which matter more than ever.

 "We have set out a practical approach that would extend DTT to 2044. It is fully costed, places no burden on the public purse, avoids any impact on household bills, reduces costs for broadcasters, and maintains universal access. Crucially, it allows time to manage the full complexity of this transition, including coordinating an entire industry, securing the necessary funding, and protecting the resilience that the public relies on.

 "Let's make sure we get this right - with a route forward that is deliverable in practice and works for everyone."

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