The Director General of IDT, Adama Benoît Yéo, announced a few days ago that digital terrestrial television (DTT) in Côte d'Ivoire now covers around 60% of the Ivorian population and that the analog signal is scheduled to be switched off from January 1, 2021, initially affecting the cities of Abidjan, Bouaké, Man, Bouaflé, Korhogo, and Koun-Fao. This switch-off process must be completed by March 31, 2021, at the latest, in order to comply with Côte d'Ivoire's international commitments.
Of course, for a household to benefit from DTT, it is not enough for it to be deployed in their region; the household must also purchase and install a decoder (10,000 CFA francs) and an antenna (4,500 CFA francs)
However, according to a very recent Médiamétrie study (November 2020) conducted in the city of Abidjan, only 34.6% of Abidjan residents say they are familiar with DTT. In other words, more than 65% of this population does not know what DTT is.
Fortunately, for many in Abidjan, the switch-off of analog will have no impact, as the vast majority of households are already connected to a pay-TV service provided by local distributors or satellite (CANAL, STARTIMES).
However, in the rest of the country, the many people who still watch television via a rooftop antenna will need to equip themselves with a digital antenna and decoder before the analog switch-off.
There have been numerous awareness and information campaigns, but the results of the Médiamétrie survey on DTT awareness show that this important work is far from over.
RTI has a major role to play in this regard, as it is currently the only broadcaster available on the analog signal. When the switch-off takes place, every household that has not purchased an antenna and decoder will be lost exclusively to RTI.
The information and awareness campaign must therefore be stepped up in the coming weeks and months to ensure that the public service is not penalized.
Thanks to DTT, viewers will be able to access a wider choice of channels free of charge by purchasing, once and for all, and for a modest price, a decoder and/or antenna, enjoy image and sound quality far superior to that of analog channels, and not be affected by storms or rain.
The argument is effective, but the population concerned must be aware of it and understand it. That is the challenge for the coming weeks.