23 July 2008
Over two-thirds of all television sets in the UK are now linked to digital, according to figures from the broadcasting regulator Ofcom. Its Digital Progress Report reveals that in the first quarter of this year 68% of the 60 million TVs in the country were digitally linked, either via satellite, cable or digital terrestrial. This is an increase of around seven million TV sets compared to the same period last year, a rise Ofcom attributes to the number of consumers converting their secondary sets to digital. According to Ofcom, 87.2% of homes now have digital services on their main television, with the number of satellite and cable subscribers growing as well as the number of digital set-top boxes being purchased. But the figures show that 32% of TV sets are still not digitally-linked and their owners will have to subscribe to satellite or cable services or purchase digital terrestrial equipment if they are to work once analogue signals are switched off. The digital switchover began in October last year when Whitehaven in Cumbria made the switch. The Border region will be the first full region to go digital in 2008 and 2009.