Freeview help

Some older and disabled people in the ITV West Country region are to be offered a subsidised Freeview box to help them switch over to digital TV.

The offer is part of a nationwide scheme which will help up to seven million people across the country between now and 2012.

To be eligible for the scheme you have to be aged 75 or over, registered blind or partially sighted or eligible for certain disability benefits.

Freesat

The Switchover Help Scheme has chosen Freeview as its standard choice for the ITV West Country area.

Eligible viewers can have a Freeview set top box installed on one of their TVs for £40, or for free if they also get income benefits.

Those unable to receive television through an aerial will be offered the satellite service Freesat instead.

Digital options

All those who are eligible for the Switchover Help Scheme can also choose from other digital options, but some of these will cost extra.

This process will be repeated for the digital switchover in each ITV region, although the standard offer may change.

For example, the offer in the ITV Border area – which will start switching in November – was a Sky satellite system.

ParentPort: Working together for media standards