The Audiovisual Media Authority (AMA) is announcing that the switching off analog television broadcasting in Tirana and Durrës Regions, foreseen for January 15, 2019, is postponed until September 1, 2019.
Currently, both broadcasting technologies, i.e. analog and digital, are operating simultaneously in these two regions. This simultaneous broadcasting method, which guarantees the continuity of receiving television broadcasting during the transitional period, will be in place until September 1, 2019.
We remind the households that already have a decoder, the digital terrestrial broadcasting is still operational and providing high quality in 36 free television channels.
AMA takes into consideration that Tirana and Durrës Regions have the highest number of residents and as evidenced by the data of economic operators up to date, the quantity of DVB-T2 decoders has not yet been provided. Moreover, considering the Decision No. 547/2018 of Competition Authority, which recommended raising public awareness in Tirana and Durres Regions, but also in the other regions where digital switchover is expected to take place, AMA is continuing its work to improve the public information campaign, including the alteration of the content of information spots, announcements, or increasing the communication channels.
The legal framework governing the digitization requires that the audience has digital receivers or decoders, in order to guarantee the continuity of television broadcasting during this transitional period.
For this purpose, AMA invites the market operators to provide sufficient quantity of these equipment to achieve this objective for Tirana and Durrës Regions.
Meanwhile, AMA is finalizing the process of digital switchover in Vlora Region and it has the same deadline for switching off the analog signal on 1 September 2019. The digital broadcasting of public operator and of some private national operations are operational in this region, where the private operators offer twice the number of TV channels for free to the families having a DVB-T2 decoder.
Audiovisual Media Authority
January 11, 2019
