Everyone TV

Digital UK is a not-for-profit company which oversees the digital switchover of television in the United Kingdom. The body is responsible for communicating with the public about switchover; working with manufacturers and retailers; and co-ordinating the technical roll-out of digital terrestrial television (DTT) throughout the UK, region by region, to a timetable agreed by the government.

Digital UK is one of four bodies which, working together, are expected to deliver the country's switchover programme. The others are Ofcom (the communications regulator) and the government Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

Although Digital UK was set up at the request of the government and Ofcom, it is independent from both. The company's shareholders are the UK public-service broadcasters (BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Five, S4C and Teletext) and transmission companies SDN and National Grid Wireless. More than half of Digital UK's budget is funded by the BBC, via the licence fee.

Digital switchover will affect almost every home in the United Kingdom. All of the country's television sets will have to be able to receive a digital signal when the analogue terrestrial signal is turned off, between 2008 and 2012.

Digital UK was formed in September 2005 and is based in Percy Street in the West End of London. It is headed by Ford Ennals (Chief Executive) and Barry Cox (Chairman).