1.9m DTT devices sold in second quarter

1.9m devices capable of receiving digital terrestrial TV were sold in the second quarter of 2007, according to sales figures provided by GfK, Freeview and Ofcom.

Of the total devices sold, 942,690 were Freeview set top boxes and 921,900 were integrated digital TVs. Sales of set top boxes were so strong that the number represents the highest second quarter sales ever, up 28% year on year but slightly lower quarter on quarter. Sales of integrated digital TVs, which now account for 52% of all TVs sold in the United Kingdom, represented the second highest quarterly figure recorded and were up 89% year-on-year.

Ofcom said that "an increasing number of DTT purchases are being made to convert secondary sets in the home to DTV, or as replacements for existing DTT set top boxes on the primary set. Replacement purchases can often be motivated by a desire to obtain new features such as 7-day programme guides or PVR functionality."

Since Freeview's launch in October 2002, 20.6m devices capable of receiving DTT have been sold, comprised of 14.5m set top boxes and 6.1 million IDTVs. While the number of homes where DTT is the only digital platform stands at 9.1m, the total number of households using DTT equipment - taking into account Freeview boxes attached to sets where the main set receives another form of digital TV - is 12.9m.