NCA Organises Sensitisation Meeting on Service Information/ Programme Specific Information
NCA Organises Sensitisation Meeting on Service Information/ Programme Specific Information
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The National Communications Authority (NCA) organised a sensitization meeting with stakeholders on Service Information and Programme Specific Information (SI/PSI) on the Friday, 10th February, 2016, at the NCA Tower in Accra.
The SI/PSI is meant to serve as a viewing guide for television viewers. The main purpose is to enable viewers navigate scheduling information menus interactively, allowing them to select and discover programming by time, title and channel while providing programme information in advance, just to mention a few.
Acting Director General of the NCA, Mr. Joe Anokye, in his welcome remarks said, “due to converging technology, television will soon become the new interface for all forms of advanced communication such skyping, messaging and even voice calls. The broadcasting landscape is also set to change as the telephony industry changes, broadcasting stations who will not be innovative will find themselves losing their viewership. You should ensure that viewers are given the best ever programme or content description such that they will be drawn to your programme and even auto set their device to your programme. And as we all know, the greater the viewership, the better the chances are of attracting the needed advertising revenues for sustaining your operations and making profit.”
He urged operators to regularly provide K-NET with information as Section 7 of the Digital Replacement Authorisation requires them to provide programme event information covering eight days for each day of operation to the Multiplex Operator.
With the expectation of the completion of the DTT roll out, Mr. Anokye also urged service providers to be compliant with the regulations and embrace new developments in the digital broadcasting world, especially in a world that is gradually becoming a global village.
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the preparation and submission of Service Information (SI) and Programme Specific Information (PSI) for incorporation in the Electronic Programme Guide utilized on the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) platform.
Prior to this meeting a directive had been sent to all broadcasters on the DTT platform to provide programme specific information on their channels for population on the Electronic Programme Guide.
In his presentation on the update of Digital Migration Transmission Network, Mr. Joshua Peprah, an independent Engineer with the Ministry of Communications spoke of his optimism with the progress being made on the DTT platform. According to him, 43 network sites were under construction and that by March 2017 all the sites should be fully operational. He also said that power surges were a challenge which is currently receiving attention
Mr. Edmund Fianko of the Engineering Division of the NCA, also took participants through the benefits of the DTT which included higher spectrum efficiency, clearer pictures, better audio and improved interactivity for television viewers. In his presentation on the Logical Channel Numbers (LCN) assigned to each television network, he referred to LCNs as unique channel numbers assigned to each TV station and will serve as a unique identifier on the digital broadcasting platform. Together with the EPGs and the LCN’s, viewers would be getting more from their television viewing.
He also took the opportunity to inform participants of the benefits of acquiring certified DTT receivers.
In her closing remarks, Mrs. Florence Martey, Deputy Director of the Engineering Division, thanked all the participants for their participation and immense contributions. She assured them of the Authority’s commitment to be an enabling partner with open doors to provide solutions to broadcasters enquiries and complaints on the DTT.
The meeting brought together broadcasting stakeholders who offer free to air channels (FTA) on the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) Platform.
As a member of the ITU, Ghana is to regulate its broadcasting services in accordance with the standards and requirements set by the ITU. And as part of the Geneva 06 Convention, and to which Ghana is a signatory, Ghana is in the transition stage of migrating from analogue to digital broadcasting. This forms part of the country’s migration from Analogue Television broadcasting to DTT. Currently, the third phase of the roll out has commenced and this is expected to cover Eastern, Central, Brong Ahafo and Western regions. So by April 2017, it is our expectation that the roll out will be completed.
Issued by the National Communications Authority,
NCA Tower,
No. 6 Airport City, Accra.
Tel: (0)30 – 2776621/2771701 or 050-145-1522/3.
E-mail: info@localhost
Date – Friday, 10th February, 2017
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