89.6% of UK main TVs have multichannel

Ofcom has revealed that take up of multichannel TV on main sets in the UK has increased to 89.6% during the first quarter of 2009.

According to the regulator's latest Digital Television Update, 73% of all TV sets have now been converted to multichannel TV.

With the vast majority of main sets now being converted, it was discovered that 61% of all secondary sets have also been transferred to digital.

DTT-dedicated homes, including those on free or pay, grew by 15,000 during Q1 to reach 9.8 million households solely relying on the service for their multichannel viewing.

Sales of DTT-enabled equipment rose to nearly 3.4 million during Q1, which represented an increase of 7% compared to the same period last year.

It was found that 12.7 million DTT units have been sold in total during the year up to Q1 2009, constituting an 8.5% increase on the 11.7 million shifted the previous year.

Some 73% of sales were of IDTVs - sets with built-in digital tuners - while 93% of all TV set sales are now for digital models.

However, just 900,000 Freeview set-top-boxes were purchased in Q1 2009, representing a drop of 28% on last year as consumers are increasingly opting for integrated TV sets instead.

Ofcom has also reported that Freesat sales increased by 233,000 during Q4 2008 and then grew by 350,000 in Q1 2009, including three quarters of these being for HD compatible boxes.

Some 37% of UK homes can now receive TV via satellite on either a free-to-air or pay TV basis.

Finally, it was found that cable television has reached 13.2% of UK homes during Q1 2009, representing an increase of 12.8% on the previous quarter's figures.

Digital cable added in excess of 41,400 new subscribers during the period - taking into account analogue cable conversions - to encompass 96% of all cable users.

Virgin Media has added 137,000 net new subscribers over the past year to reach 3.65 million in total, which is the highest ever level of takeup for cable TV in the UK.

According to the operator, 53% of its subscribers are now regularly using the video-on-demand service, with average monthly views up from 24 to 29 in the past year.