Section 214: Digital Channel 3 and Channel 5 licences
461.Any Channel 3 or a Channel 5 licence granted after the television transfer date must provide for the licensed service to be broadcast digitally. Such a licence may also contain such conditions requiring the service also to be provided in analogue form as OFCOM consider appropriate. In such cases the programming (apart from advertisements) should replicate that of the digital service (see subsection (4)).
462.The conditions included in the licence must enable compliance with any directions given from time to time by the Secretary of State about the continuation of analogue services.
463.Any licence taking effect before “the initial expiry date”(which is 31st December 2014 or any later date set by the Secretary of State under section 224) must remain in force until the end of that day. Any licence taking effect thereafter must remain in force from the time when it takes effect until the end of the licensing period beginning or current at that time.
*the meaning of “the initial expiry date” can be found in section 224. Subsection (6) of section 214 provides that a licensing period is the period beginning with the commencement of that section and ending with the initial expiry date, or any subsequent period of 10 years beginning with the end of the previous licensing period.
464.There can be no charge levied for the use of a licensed service or for any related assistance for disabled people or for ancillary services: subsections (8) and (9).
