Switchover bulletin: 2 days to go

With just two days until the switchover begins in Whitehaven and Copeland, Digital UK has revealed that up to 20% of households – around 5,000 – still haven’t bought the necessary equipment to receive digital television channels. The local branch of Curry’s has over 2,000 Freeview boxes in stock… they’re obviously expecting a last-minute rush! Meanwhile, Freeview have published a collection of four essays, entitled Notes from the digital sofa, to mark switchover’s arrival this week. Notable points include the controller of BBC News 24 expressing his sadness at Sky’s ambitions to remove Sky News from Freeview; Five’s chief executive’s worries about television’s “lost generation”; and ITV chairman Michael Grade’s calls for Freeview spectrum to be freed up for HD services.