Bulgaria's government is slating close to an additional BGN 1 M to advertise digital TV over problems with coverage and tuning of decoders.

Bulgaria switched from analogue to digital TV at midnight September 29 into September 30.

However, TV transmission network operator NURTS recently reported that about 100 000 Bulgarians from 393 settlements in rural areas do not have access to public TV broadcasts, because digital signal coverage does not reach them.

The latest public tender was posted on October 8 on the site of Bulgaria's Ministry of Transport, IT and Communications.

The new campaign's cost is estimated at BGN 833 333 without VAT and will involve only print media. This time around, however, the money will not be given to largest newspapers, but to 5 regional ones and to 6 national weeklies, which focus on people with low income, retirees and the disabled, who  have been affected the most negatively by lack of TV.

The campaign will end on December 15, 2013. It aims at providing easy to understand information about ways to tune to digital broadcasts. The newspapers will include instructions on setting up antennas and decoders and brochures as supplement.

The requirements for bidders consist of having a turnover of at least BGN 2.4 M in the last three fiscal years, of which at least BGN 2 M from similar activities.

The digital TV signal coverage advertizsng campaign was the most expensive one ever to be financed by the Bulgarian government – BGN 17.5 M without VAT, but it has largely been deemed unsuccessful.