85% of UK homes have digital on main set

85.1% of homes in the UK now receive digital television services on their main set.

The figure is up slightly from the 84% reported by Ofcom at the end of the second quarter, and when households with analogue cable are taken into account, the percentage of homes taking some form of multichannel TV on their main set stands at 86.1%.

The growth in the take-up of digital TV was once again fuelled by Freeview device sales, which topped 2.4m during the quarter - up 70% year-on-year, and the second highest number for such purchases on record.

Take-up of timeshifting devices also continued to increase during the third quarter, with 2.7m homes taking Sky+ and 190,000 subscribers using Virgin Media's high-definition equivalent. Sky HD-equipped homes topped the 350,000 mark.