A special programme has been held to brief media industry stakeholders on Sri Lanka’s television broadcasting digitalization project, with the first digital television experience expected to be introduced to viewers in the country by December 2028.

The programme, attended by owners and heads of media institutions and other stakeholders, was held in Colombo on Monday (28) under the patronage of Mass Media Minister Nalinda Jayatissa.

The programme focused on the progress of the Digitalization of Terrestrial Television Broadcasting (DTTB) Project, its next steps, and the technological and operational changes expected in Sri Lanka’s television broadcasting sector.

The project aims to replace the analog television broadcasting system used in Sri Lanka for more than four decades with a common digital broadcasting platform for all television broadcasters.

Currently, the project is in the design and development stage, with plans to introduce the first digital television experience to Sri Lankan viewers in December 2028.

Implemented with assistance from the Government of Japan and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the project will introduce the ISDB-T digital television broadcasting standard to Sri Lanka.

The transition is expected to provide high-definition (HD) television services, improved picture and sound quality, wider signal coverage and more efficient use of the radio frequency spectrum.

Under the new system, state and private television broadcasters will operate through a common digital broadcasting platform, reducing the need for individual broadcasters to maintain separate broadcasting infrastructure. The project is also expected to create opportunities for new value-added digital services.

Addressing the programme, Minister Jayatissa said the initiative should not be viewed merely as a change in television broadcasting technology, but as an important national programme aimed at modernizing broadcasting infrastructure and supporting Sri Lanka’s wider digital transformation.

He also stressed the importance of ensuring that the common platform is operated with transparency, fairness and accountability, without discrimination against any state or private broadcaster.

Deputy Minister of Digital Economy Eranga Weeraratne, Japanese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Akio Isomata, senior JICA representatives and government officials were among those who participated in the programme. (Newswire)

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