Digital terrestrial television (DTT) is set to reach nearly 55 million European Union households by 2009, according to a new report from Juniper Research.
This represents 55% of all digital households and 30% of all TV households says the report and by the end of the decade this figure will rise even further as the 10 new member states of the EU are expected to contribute a further 5 million DTT households.
The report – which also takes BSkyB’s latest free-to-air satellite package into account – reveals that the UK will remain the EU country with the highest overall level of digitalisation, although its forecast digitalisation rate by 2009 of 89-90% will be some way short of the British government’s target of 95% for analogue switch-off (see Digital TV Take-Up Will Fall Short Of 2010 Deadline). Other countries expected to have strong digital growth over the period are Finland (85% by 2009), Italy (83%) and Spain (77%).
Report author, Dr Windsor Holden said: “Generally speaking, DTT growth will be strongest in markets with only a limited number of free-to-air services. However, given the strength of existing pay TV services in the majority of countries, pay DTT alternatives will find it extremely difficult to compete given the comparatively small number of services they would be permitted to offer.”
Dr Holden also expressed his concern about the Broadcasting Policy Group in Beyond the Charter saying that the majority of the BBC’s digital channels should cease to receive public funding from 2007 and they should be paid for by subscription and/or advertising. He said: “Were any future government to adopt the subscription model recommended in Beyond the Charter, then it is likely that take up of digital services would decline markedly.”
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