News Release

23rd October 2008

Help is at hand to switch to digital in Caldbeck

Thousands of older and disabled people living in the Border ITV area
covering the Isle of Man are set to receive information about how they
can get extra help to switchover to digital TV next year.

The Switchover Help Scheme is run by the BBC through an agreement
with the Government to help older and disabled people make the change
to digital.

Over the next few months information about the Switchover Help
Scheme which has been designed to offer additional support to eligible
older and disabled people to make the move to digital TV as simple as
possible will be sent out in the post.

You are eligible if you are aged 75 or over, you get or you could get
attendance or constant attendance allowance, mobility supplement,
disability living allowance, you have been resident in a care home for
six months or more, or you are registered blind or partially sighted.

For a one-off payment of £40, you will get easy-to-use equipment to
convert one television set, installation of that equipment, a
demonstration of how it works and someone they can call for help while
you are getting used to it.

This service is free if you are an eligible person and you receive
pension credit, income support or income based jobseekers allowance.

The Help Scheme is offering practical support to eligible people
living in the Isle of Man served by the Douglas transmitter and its
nine relays which is due to switchover on June 18 2009.

Every eligible person in these areas will receive a letter and an
information and application pack from the Switchover Help Scheme.

This information pack invites people to apply for the help available
from the Help Scheme and sets out the standard offer which is available
for £40 or free, as well as offering a range of other ways to go
digital with the Help Scheme.

To make it even easier, eligible people can choose to apply by calling the Help Scheme for free on 0800 40 85 901 instead, or they can nominate someone else to make their application for them.

Sumera Bashir, Help Scheme spokesperson, said: "Digital switchover
is coming, and we are here to do everything we can to make sure that
no-one eligible will be left behind. We will be writing to everyone
eligible explaining exactly what help is available and what needs to be
done. The most important thing is not to worry - we will be in touch."

ENDS

Notes to editors:

Switchover Help Scheme

The Switchover Help Scheme is run by the BBC through an agreement
with the Government to help older and disabled people make the change
to digital.

In the run-up to switchover in each region, every eligible person
will be offered practical help to convert one of their TV sets to
digital. People are eligible if they are aged 75 years or more, or if
they are registered blind or partially sighted. Also eligible are
people who get (or could get) attendance or constant attendance
allowance, mobility supplement, or disability living allowance.

Most people will be asked to contribute £40 towards the help. The
service is free for people who are eligible and also get pension
credit, income support or income-based jobseekers allowance.

More information is available by calling 0800 40 85 902 or through visiting www.helpscheme.co.uk

Digital television switchover is the
process of converting the UK's terrestrial television system to
digital. Between now and 2012, analogue channels will be switched off
region by region and replaced with free-to-air digital TV and radio
services (Freeview). Switchover will extend Freeview coverage to the
whole of the UK and free up airwaves for new services such as
ultra-fast wireless broadband and mobile television.

Regional published timetable for Border 2008/09

Caldbeck - serving Cumbria and south west Scotland will start on 24 June and be complete on 22 July 2009

Digital UK

Digital UK is the independent, not-for-profit organisation
established in 2005 to implement digital switchover. It is jointly
owned and funded by the public-service broadcasters (BBC, ITV, Channel
4, Five, S4C and Teletext) and the digital multiplex operators.

eaga

eaga, the provider of residential energy efficiency and outsourcing
services, has been selected by the BBC as the Help Scheme service
provider to deliver the help available under the scheme from the ITV
Border region onwards.