Freeview Launches Its First Ad Campaign

LONDON, November 16: The
British digital terrestrial platform Freeview will kick off its first TV
commercials in an effort to attract those households that have not yet made the
switch to a digital TV service.

The TV campaign, which
begins this evening in three regions close to Whitehaven, the first area in the
U.K. to switch off the analogue signal, features the voice of Sanjeev Bhaskar
from the comedy The Kumars at No 42,
using the tagline, "Where great TV is free.”

“Freeview is a TV
entertainment brand so broadcast media is the most appropriate medium,” said
Sophie Alexander, the head of consumer marketing at Freeview. “TV has the wide
appeal we need to target the disparate groups that are yet to go digital.”

With this campaign
Freeview, which is in some 14 million U.K. homes, is focusing on some 4 million
households that have no form of digital TV service, according to MediaGuardian. Freeview is also launching its first outdoor
campaign featuring characters from the TV ad in an attempt to promote its DVR,
Freeview Playback.

—By Anna Carugati