The Stage

Freeview on course to overtake Sky

Published Monday 19 June 2006 at 12:45 by Liz Thomas

Freeview is set to overtake satellite television in the UK by the end of this year, according to the latest figures unveiled in a new report on TV viewing trends.

The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising has revealed that the number of households with Freeview is now 27.3% - a jump of 8.3% in the past year. Although satellite also recorded an increase of 2% year on year, taking its current share to 31.5%, the report said that if trends continue then digital terrestrial television will be the more popular option by the end of 2006.

However the organisation chairman Jim Marshall warned that with two years until analogue switch-off begins, the fact that one third of all UK homes had not chosen to make the change, was a worrying one that could “represent a serious challenge to the government’s plans for analogue switch-off.”

Meanwhile the IPA study also had more bad news for terrestrial broadcasters, stating that Channel 4 is the only broadcaster not to have lost viewers in the past year. Its share now stands at 10% - up from 9.7% over the same period last year. However BBC1, BBC2, ITV and Five all dropped audience share.