A new free-to-air (FTA) digital TV service has been launched in New Zealand as the centerpiece of the government’s strategy to go digital.

Initially available only via satellite, the Freeview service is a consortium of FTA broadcasters that includes Television New Zealand, CanWest, Maori TV and Radio New Zealand. The service is available to nearly 100 percent of New Zealand homes, while the terrestrial service will be available to 75 percent of homes early in 2008.

The government has committed 25 million New Zealand dollars ($18.5 million) over the next five years to support the development of FTA digital television by Freeview.

The service also underscores satellite’s dominance in New Zealand. The main pay-TV operator in the country is Sky Television New Zealand, which has more than 500,000 residential satellite pay-TV customers in a country with a population of just more than 4 million people.