20 June 2006
Digital terrestrial television, known as Freeview, is on course to be the most popular way of watching television in the UK during 2006.
According to a report by the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA), the dramatic rise of Freeview means that it looks set to overtake satellite television, the TV format currently favoured by the most UK households.
Freeview recorded an 8.3% annual growth rate in terms of market share in 2005 and now serves 27.3% of all UK homes.
If it continues on that steep rise it will overtake satellite TV, which currently covers 31.5% of households, by the fourth quarter of 2006.
"We're delighted that most homes switching over to digital are now choosing Freeview," said Cary Wakefield, general manager of Freeview.
"The outstanding channel line up, which will soon see Film Four and two new channels from Five coming on board, demonstrates our broad appeal. Couple this with the simplicity of a one-off payment and no-subscription and you can see why, according to Ofcom's latest report, 7.1 million UK householders have already chosen Freeview to be their primary source of digital television."
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