Four of five homes 'have digital'

Updated 15.02 Wed Jun 20 2007
Keywords: Ofcom, television, digital

Around 80 per cent of UK households have digital television, according to new figures.

Research from Ofcom showed that 870,000 households made the switch in the first three months of 2007, taking the total to just over 20 million.

Research from Ofcom showed that 870,000 households made the switch in the first three months of 2007, taking the total number to just over 20 million

Ford Ennals, chief executive of Digital UK, the body responsible for overseeing the switchover, said: "These results are evidence of real momentum behind the UK's move to digital television.

"With the first analogue signals being switched off this autumn, our task is to build on this progress and ensure people understand the need to convert their sets in time for switchover."

The number of Sky subscribers rose to more than eight million during the same period, compared with 3.4 million for Virgin Media. There have also be increasing sales of integrated digital TV sets, with 900,000 sold in the first three months of the year.

The UK will begin the process of analogue switch-off on October 17 in Whitehaven, Cumbria. It will be repeated region by region until the UK is completely digital by 2012.

© Independent Television News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.