News Release

18th December 2008

Make 2009 the year you go digital with the Switchover Help Scheme

Older and disabled people living in the Isle of Man can expect help
to switch to digital TV through the post from the Switchover Help
Scheme.

The BBC-run Help Scheme offers eligible older and disabled people
help to switch one TV to digital, including installation and aftercare,
for a flat cost of £40 or for free if they're also eligible for income
benefits.

From next month onwards eligible older and disabled people will be
getting a Help Scheme information pack through the post. The Help
Scheme will make it easy for them to switch to digital and will look
after their needs. They can get help simply by responding. The help
will be delivered in time for switchover which happens in the Isle of
Man on 18 June 2009.

People are eligible if they are:

• Aged 75 or over
• If they get (or could get) attendance or constant attendance allowance, mobility supplement or disability living allowance,
• If they have lived in a care home for six months or more,
• Or if they are registered blind or partially sighted.

For a one-off payment of £40, eligible people will be offered:

• Installation of that equipment
• A demonstration of how it works
• And someone they can call for help while they are getting used to it.

This standard offer is a Sky satellite system. Other options to
switch to digital are also available, some at a higher cost and all are
explained in the information pack.

Sumera Bashir, Help Scheme spokesperson for the Isle of Man, said:
"Most eligible people should receive their information pack in the post
between the middle of January and the end of March. We are encouraging
people to make a New Year's resolution to let us know early what they
want to do."

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

Sumera said: "We are here to make everything as simple as possible.
All that anyone needs to do is to get in touch once they receive their
information pack and we will talk them through the options and then
book installation or delivery of the equipment they have chosen at
their convenience."

Eligible people in the Isle of Man should hear from the Help Scheme
by May 2009. Anyone who has not received an information pack by this
time and thinks they qualify for help should contact the Help Scheme
for free on 0800 40 85 901.

The Douglas transmitter group and its nine relays begin to switchover on 18 June 2009 and is completed by 16 July 2009.

More information about the Help Scheme can be found at helpscheme.co.uk

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.

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.