Future FTA

The FTA concept used in television is referred to as FTV (Free to View). This FTV can be availed by an end user without subscribing for the service. However, these FTC signals are broadcasted after being encrypted through a digital mechanism. Another restriction involved in most of the FTA broadcasts is that they are targeted only for a specific geographic location.

Unlike Pay-per-View broadcasting service, which requires a subscription for usage, FTA service in television can be enjoyed as a free service by end users who set up dedicated receivers that receive these broadcast signals.

With the advent of the satellite technologies, most of the service providers have shifted to the more sophisticated transmission through satellite. Further, these transmissions involve digital encryptions and can be received by FTA receivers that have the keys to unlock these encryptions.

A majority of the television service providers of the world, however, are sticking to the conventional broadcasting technology through free transmission mediums. This involves an unencrypted transmission through the frequency bands like VHF (Very High Frequency) and UHF (Ultra High Frequency).

In spite of being classified as free providers, most of the cases involve a small fee, which is obtained through different means. A majority of this is remitted for obtaining the license to broadcast the service for free within a specific geographical location. The examples of these are the services provided by BBC and Times group which provide their service for fee after demanding a small license fee.

A few open source providers get a fee for their service indirectly through donations from the end users. Most of the educational channels and service providers come under this category.

Almost 90% of the free to Air service providers use the following mode to generate income. The FTA service providers generate indirect income through sponsors and advertisements. These rake in a huge income when compared to pay per view services. A FTA service has a wide reach in terms of the customer usage, which in turn garners a large advertisement value. This is one reason why the providers opt for a free to air service rather than demanding a fee for usage.

Free to Air services are available in almost all the countries around the world. Due to the advent of technology and growth in customer usage, single service provider tend to provide a global service mechanism through which international FTA broadcasting is achieved.