Television services in Europe in the age of direct satellite television

Consumer and industrial reaction to direct satellite television is discussed. Legal aspects raised at the Geneva conferences are summarized. Existing techniques are reviewed and the expansion of services is outlined. A country by country breakdown of the economic, social, cultural, and legal impact of satellite television is provided. The television and peritelevision market in Western Europe to the year 2000 is forecast, and the effect on this satellite television is evaluated. The outlook is good, with increased program variety, cheap teletext and increased quality leading to more receivers being bought and more satellites sold to countries outside Europe. Frequencies used for ground based television transmission can be used for other purposes, e.g. citizens' band radio.