Freeview Penetration Set To Equal Sky Next Year
David Chance, chairman of Top Up TV and former BSkyB executive has claimed that Freeview homes will outnumber their Sky Digital counterparts by December 2005, stating that increased interest in pay-TV from terrestrial viewers was fuelling growth in his company’s low-cost premium channel offering.
Speaking at a Broadcasting Press Guild lunch, Chance stated: “Freeview box sales in the calendar year will exceed three million units. The Freeview box population will be in five million homes by the end of the year. The run rate next year could well be another three million. By December 2005, the Freeview platform could be as big as Sky, which is a very big milestone.”
Chance’s Top Up TV service offers Freeview customers an additional ten channels, including premium offerings such as E4 and UKTV Gold, for £7.99 a month. The broadcast boss said that the company was on track to meet its break-even target of 250,000 customers within two years, and claimed that the manufacture of more compatible boxes would further increase subscriber figures.
Top Up TV launched earlier this year and in May revealed that it had signed up 20,000 subscribers in its first month. Until recently the service has relied on viewers using ex-ITV Digital set top boxes, equipped with a slot for a viewing card. However, new pay-TV compatible equipment from manufacturers, including three boxes from Echostar, Strong and Astratech being launched in time for Christmas, are enabling more viewers to access the service.
Recent research by the BBC claimed that Top Up TV will be purchased by 15% of Freeview customers by 2010, while Informa Media Group expects that around 17 million people will have Freeview by the end of the decade, putting Top Up’s audience at around 2.5 million, well ahead of its break-even target (see Top Up TV Confirms Appointment Of Freeview Manager).
Elsewhere Sky recently launched a pre-packaged starter pack for sale in high street stores, designed to rival Freeview for ease of installation and increase the broadcaster’s waning subscriber figures (see Sky Launches Starter Pack To Tempt Freeview Viewers).
The satellite superpower has consistently failed to meet its self-set subscriber targets of 100,000 per month, adding only 62,000 new subscribers during the three months to September but seeing revenue continue to rise (see Sky Revenue Up 11% Despite Missing Subscriber Target).
Freeview: 08708 80 99 80 www.freeview.co.uk Sky: 08702 40 40 40 www.sky.com Top Up TV: 08700 543 210 www.topup.tv
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