Digital TV overtakes analogue for the first time in the UK

According to the latest figures from OFCOM, Digital Terrestrial TV  through the Freeview service, has overtaken analogue terrestrial in the UK for the first time. The numbers bring the total percentage of the UK population watching digital TV in some form (terrestrial, cable or satellite) to 72.5%, one of the highest levels in the world.

Almost 7.1m households now watch TV using Freeview on their main set with just 6.4m homes still depending on an analogue TV signal. Sky meanwhile has 7.7m subscribers, 3.3m watch cable TV and 645,000 use free-to-view satellite services. The figures should give some comfort to culture minister Tessa Jowell who is aiming to turn of analogue broadcasts in 2012, and phase out signals from 2008.  The question now is what will happen to the spare spectrum, with some expecting the government to sell it off to the highest bidder, and others pushing for it to be used for a big increase in local TV.

Freeview 'overtakes analogue TV'
 
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Digital TV service Freeview has become more popular than analogue television, says media watchdog Ofcom.
Almost 7.1m households now watch TV using Freeview on their main set. Only 6.4m homes still rely on the analogue TV signal.

18 million homes now watch some form of digital television, with satellite being the most popular choice.

Sky has 7.7m subscribers, while 3.3m watch cable TV and 645,000 use free-to-view satellite services.

The government wants the entire country to switch to digital television by 2012.

Last year, Culture minister Tessa Jowell announced that analogue television signals would start to be phased out in 2008.

According to Ofcom, 72.5% of households with TV sets now watch digital services, up from 69.5% at the end of 2005.


BBC News 24 is one of the channels available on Freeview
Freeview offers more than 30 TV channels, compared to the hundreds available on satellite and cable.

However, the service does not require a monthly subscription.

Around 1.2m Freeview boxes were sold in the first three months of this year, an increase of 40% compared to the same period in 2005.

Ofcom estimates that one-third of those sales are second sets for houses which already have digital TV services.

Freeview is a joint venture between the BBC, BSkyB, National Grid Wireless, ITV and Channel 4.