22 December 2008
Nine out of ten new televisions now being sold are digital-ready, according to figures released by Digital UK.
The body leading the country's digital switchover found that sales of digital TVs have increased substantially as people stay at home to save money.
In the 12 months to October 2008, some nine million televisions were sold in the UK - an increase of almost 10% compared to the same period last year.
By October, 90% of TV purchases were digital sets. David Scott, Chief Executive of Digital UK, said: "With household budgets under pressure, the extra channels and features that come with digital TV offer great value entertainment."
He added that the figures show more households than ever are ready for the digital switchover, which will affect more than five million homes in 2009.
Figures from communications regulator Ofcom show that by the end of September, 88.2% of UK homes had digital TV on their main television set.