Freesat adds 18,000 homes in first quarter of 2014

Freesat’s latest results reveal that it added 18,000 homes in the first quarter of 2014, which the subscription free satellite TV service says is largely due to “budget-conscious consumers switch[ing] away from expensive pay TV packages.”

The results also highlight the continuing growth of its connected TV service, Freetime, which has seen sales more than double year on year and now accounts for 41% of all Freesat set-top box sales.

Since launching at the beginning of the year, Freesat’s mobile app – which doubles up as a remote control – has exceeded downloads of more than 200,000.

Commenting on the results, Emma Scott, managing director of Freesat, said: “Free TV has never been so vibrant or compelling. TV fans are switching on to our Freetime service and switching away from pay TV and the expensive contracts that go with it.

“I’m proud to see that Freetime has been adopted by leading television manufacturers such as Panasonic and Vestel, demonstrating that Freesat remains at the forefront of the connected TV market.

“The huge popularity of our award winning mobile app shows that Freesat matches anything available from pay TV companies.”

Freesat is currently available in 1.84 million households and watched by 3.8 million viewers each week.