Ofcom finally lets Freeview pass Sky

Ofcom's quarterly figures finally allow Freeview to glide past Sky as the UK's favourite digital TV system.

^{Brian Butterworth published on UK Free TV 20th June 2007 at 16:05}

Ofcom's three-monthly figures for digital TV take up are published again today.

Finally Ofcom have - by March 2007 - et Freeview's figures pass those of Sky. This is because Ofcom say that of the 16.7 million DTT sets/settop boxes sold only 11.7 million are in use and 8.4 million are in use in "Freeview only" homes.

PayTV

Vigin Media is up 75,000 (2.5%) to 3.09m, BSkyB is up 32,020 (0.4%) to 8.01m, Homechoice/BT Vision up 19,000 (44.2%) to 62,000. Analogue cable dropped 39,100 (-11.2%) to just 310,054.

Free to air TV

Freeview only homes up 673,000 (8.7%) to 8.38m and Freesat homes are up 70,000 (7.9%) to 743,000.

Main set figures

Freeview is now 33.0%, BSkyB is 31.6%, Analogue terrestrial 18.3%, Virgin Media 13.4%, Freesat 3.5% and ADSL 0.2%.

All sets figures

Analogue terrestrial 49.0%, Freeview is now 27.8%, BSkyB is 15.5%, , Virgin Media 6.2%, Freesat 1.5% and ADSL 0.1%.