The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has proposed that Mega Manila be the initial phase for the national analog switch-off (ASO), citing the high penetration of digital TV households in the area.
The NTC, in a draft circular titled, “Guidelines for the switch-off of the analog TV service in Mega Manila,” said setting an ASO date would allow TV networks to plan ahead in their investments as they shift operations from analog to full digital broadcast transmission.
It said that as of December 2024, about 80 percent of TV households in Mega Manila already received digital TV broadcasts, according to a survey conducted by Kantar Media Philippines and commissioned by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).
The NTC noted that because “80 percent of TV households in Mega Manila are receiving digital TV broadcasts, indicating that the majority of TVHH in the area no longer rely on analog TV reception, Mega Manila shall serve as the initial phase for the national ASO.”
The NTC also said that TV networks assigned in the VHF band have been providing simultaneous broadcasts (simulcasts) of analog and digital TV services for more than eight years.
