Digital TV Reaches 63% Of UK Households

Digital penetration in the UK has reached 63% of all UK households, up from 61.9% at the end of the first quarter of 2005, according to Ofcom’s latest Digital Television Update.

The report shows that by June 30 2005, the total number of digital TV households in Britain rose by almost 298,000, reaching 15.7 million, with satellite provider, BSkyB, adding 75,000 subscribers and bringing its total number of users in the UK to just over 7.4 million by the end of Q2 2005.

According to Ofcom, 700,000 Freeview set-top boxes and iDTVs were sold by the end of the second quarter of 2005, resulting in media watchdog Ofcom estimating the number of Freeview only homes to have grown to almost 5.17 million by the end of June, a rise of over 118,000 homes during the quarter.

The total number of subscribers to cable television also increased in Q2, growing to just over 3.3 million, with digital cable increasing by over 57,000, accounting for over 2.6 million of the total.

Ofcom also reveals multi-channel penetration in the UK to be rising, with 2.8% of households continuing to subscribe to analogue cable during the quarter bringing the total proportion of households receiving some form of multi-channel television to just over 65.8%.

The UK has adapted well to the new technology, with Ed Richards, Ofcom’s senior partner for strategy and market development saying at the first Ofcom Annual Lecture to the Westminster Media Forum: “Digital television is growing at the rate of 250,000, the population of Sheffield, every month and now for the first time ever, more people are accessing the internet through broadband than narrowband (see

Ofcom Strategy Chief Predicts An On-Demand Future UK To Lead Europe In Digital Penetration).

Despite being estimated to add more than five million digital subscribers from the 2005 figure, however, the UK is predicted to drop to 21.6% of the total digital penetration by 2010, with Germany forecast to overtake it, increasing its share to 25%.

Digital television in Western Europe as a whole, is expected to rise by 25% in 2005, reaching 25.8 million by the end of the year and surpassing the 50 million mark in 2006. Informa predicts the number of digital subscribers to more than double over the next five years, hitting just under 100 million by 2010.

Ofcom: 020 7981 3040 www.ofcom.org.uk