The BBC and ITV are close to presenting communications regulator Ofcom with an alternative plan for launching high-definition television channels on existing Freeview capacity. Ofcom's initial proposal to enable the launch of up to four HD channels from the public-service broadcasters has been viewed critically by ITV, which would face the loss of broadcasting capacity and a bill of tens of millions of pounds to increase coverage of its SDN multiplex. "The BBC and ITV are quite close to coming up with a variant on Ofcom's proposals," said one senior industry figure. Under the BBC-ITV alternative plan, the Corporation would retain one of its two multiplexes for its own channels, said the source, and use its second multiplex to house the HDTV services of all four broadcasters. Five, at present housed on the SDN multiplex, would then move to Digital 3&4 (thereby extending its reach) while some of the channels run by ITV and Channel 4 on this multiplex would move elsewhere. Under this plan, described by the source as "eminently achievable," the SDN multiplex (Multiplex A) would not need to be upgraded to public-service status and be required to reach near-universal population coverage, as would be the case with the Ofcom proposal.
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