UK Only Country In Europe With Over 50% DTV Services

The UK remains the only country in Europe with over 50% of households having digital television services, according to a report just published by independent market analyst Datamonitor.

Datamonitor estimates that by 2010, 95% of UK households will have made the transition to digital TV and the UK will remain the most penetrated digital market in Europe.

The report says that the continuing success of BSkyB’s satellite platform and the expected strong uptake of the Freeview DTT (Digital Terrestrial Television) service will drive uptake. Datamonitor expects Freeview to become the largest digital platform in the UK by 2008.

It also says that the recent merger of cable operators NTL and Telewest will also act to provide greater impetus to digital cable development.

However, NewsLine recently reported that NTL could face a £10 million bid from private equity firms, having seen its share price plummet in recent months (see NTL Could Face $10 Billion Bid).

Datamonitor adds that so far over 100 million households across Europe and the US have moved from analogue to digital services, although penetration between individual countries continues to vary significantly.

Datamonitor: www.datamonitor.com