The increasing popularity of Freeview amongst upmarket viewers is beginning to have an effect on the UK’s main terrestrial channels, which have seen their share of lucrative ABC1 adult audiences decline.
The recently launched digital terrestrial television service, which offers 30 channels for a one-off payment of around £60, is believed to be attracting large numbers of up-market refuseniks who have shunned satellite dishes and cable.
The latest BARB figures show that BBC Two has been the worst hit by the rapid growth of Freeview with an 8.4% dip in ABC1 evening viewing this year, which has led to claims that it is being shunned by middle Britain.
However, other terrestrial channels have also suffered at the hands of increased competition and BBC1 lost 3.8% of its ABC1 audience during the same period, with ITV1 dipping by 2.7%, Channel 4 shedding 1.6% and Five losing 0.2%.
Freeview recently celebrated its first year of sales by revealing that between 1.7 million and 2.1 million households now receive the service, which was born out of the ashes of the collapsed ITV Digital (see Freeview Celebrates First Birthday With Record Sales).
It is estimated that Freeview is currently selling at around 800,000 set-top boxes a week and Merrill Lynch predicts the service will usurp the number of homes with cable television and reach 3.7 million viewers by 2005 (see BSkyB To Reach Almost 9m Subs By 2008, Say Forecasts).
