ERT Digital

ERT Digital (: ΕΡΤ Ψηφιακή) was a pilot project by ERT, the public broadcaster of Greece. It was the first legal attempt at digital television broadcasting in Greece, featuring four new channels: Cine+, Prisma+ Sport+ and Info+. It was officially launched in early 2006 as part of the digital television transition mandated by the European Union, according to which the transition should be. The project was funded through ERT's budget and had no advertising.

In the initial phase of the program, each channel was to broadcast between six and ten hours of original programming. This would last approximately 1–2 years in which time it was anticipated that new programming would be produced for each channel. ERT also hoped to launch at least two more digital channels at some point in the future, a lifestyle channel and a children's channel. The programming on the four digital channels was separate and distinct from that featured on ERT's three traditional analogue services - ΕΤ1, ΝΕΤ and ΕΤ3.

ERT Digital was available to approximately 65% of the population, mainly in Athens, Thessaloniki and some other major cities. It broadcast free-to-air without any subscription cost, requiring only a generic DVB-T set-top box. The issue of paying for the four digital channels had been a bone of contention for many Greek citizens as ERT was funded by a fee levied on all Greek households through their electricity bills. Some contended that they should not have to pay for a service they might not be able to receive or did not want to watch.

History
The first experimental broadcasts of Sport+ began on, and in the Spring of the same year, it began its regular transmission along with Prisma+, Cine+ and the satellite feed of RIK. The first phase of the network's expansion in Central Macedonia and Volos was completed shortly afterwards. However, governmental decisions delayed the extension of the ERT Digital project to the rest of the country, as well as the digital transmission of the terrestrial channels of ERT via the OTE network. Eventually the latter went to the ERT Digital bouquet in.

An additional problem for ERT digital came about when Digea, the network provider who had set up the largest private TV channels, adopted the DVB-T/MPEG-4 standard that was incompatible with the former, and many viewers were forced to buy new decoders while some devices could not decode the ERT Digital signal. Eventually, ERT led to the adoption of this standard in.

The digital channels of the platform, partly due to the limited penetration of DVB-T/MPEG-2 decoders, were never able to gain large audience shares, and all ERT Digital channels' viewership in 2009, which was under 1%, is evident of that. They finally shut down in, with Cine/Sport+, a merge of the two same-named channels, being replaced by the European feed of BBC World News, Prisma+ by Deutsche Welle only the satellite and ERT channels remained in its network, until the public broadcaster's closure in. Its infrastructure was used to broadcast the programs of New Greek Radio, Internet and Television (NERIT) which operated until, when ERT reopened.

Let's Get Digital! campaign
In, Karamella SA produced a tv spot for the new project, under the slogan Let's Get Digital!/Τώρα Digital. The teasers were directed by Panos Tsirozidis and animated by Nikos Tsimouris, Stathis Maglaras. the crew was also involved with the making of the Studio+ idents.

In the 36-second teaser, a couple awakes, as weird noises are heard from the living room. As the wife slowly goes down the stairs, a male voice says "Ζουν, ανάμεσά μας" (They live among us), and it ends. The teaser itself gives vibes to horror elements. In the final tv spot, which premiered a couple of days after the release of the teaser, the couple arrives to the living room, only to find out that it's been transformed into a crime scene, investigated by a orange Digi (the mascot for Cine+). After that, a green one (Sport+) is seen playing football, a blue one (Studio+) listening to its headsets, and a pink one (Prisma+) lugging a fragile box. Each one of the activities the mascots do represents one of th

Prisma+
Prisma+ (: Πρίσμα+) focused on entertainment as well as news & education. It is the fifth channel in Greece (it launched at ). It was planned to be the first TV channel that was fully accessible to people with disabilities. Prisma+ broadcasts a programme with a variety of shows, films, and children's programming. Almost all of its programming, unlike its sister channels, was either subtitled via teletext service, or available in sign language. Prisma+ broadcasted 24 hours a day, with its main programming being from 1:00 p.m. to 12:00 at midnight. The rest of the programming would be full of repeats. The channel would also include interactive services. In, there were plans for the channel to air terrestrially through the signal of ERT2 (then called ET1), due to the latter one mentioned, supposedely shutting down, and share content from other privately-owned channels, which never came to fruition. It was replaced on its frequency by Deutsche Welle in, and its programming, including airings of ERT1's main news bulletin with sign language, were moved to ERT2.

Sport+
Sport+ (: Σπορ+) was a sports channel covering liveand recorded sporting events - mainly having to do with football and basketball, but also other less popular sports. NBA TV programmes were regularly featured. Sport+ was launched in, and was merged with Cine+ in .There was also a sports show on the channel, called Goal+.

Info+
Info+ was a embedded, news channel and the final addition to ERT Digital. It occupied the same frequency as Sport+, in alternating timeslots. Info+ also functioned as a testbed for DVB-MHP.

Cine+
Cine+ (:Σινέ+) featured international & Greek films, cultural programmes and documentaries, mainly taken from ERT's vast programming archive. It was also more known for airing children's cartoons (that would previously air at some point on ERT and are currently airing on local stations), than Prisma+, which also aired so. It would initially also house Studio+. Upon the launch of ERT HD in, Cine+ was merged with Sport+ before being replaced by BBC World News in.

Studio+
Studio+ was an embedded channel of ERT digital. Its programming was musical and was broadcast on Cine+. It would collaborate with the local Athens channel MAD TV, hence the subtitle "powered by MAD TV" and only broadcasted in the evening. It would feature the compilinations Best Of, Good Ol' Mix, Classic, Αφίξεις Εσωτερικού, Εθνικοί Ελλάδος, Αφίξεις Εξωτερικού, It started in along with all the channels of ERT Digital and shut down one and a half years later in. Plans for the channel to operate indepedently never came to fruition.