The UK is making “astonishing progress” towards the take up of digital television, according to Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell, despite the fact that fewer than one in three homes have digital TV.
A digital television survey just published by the DCMS shows that 25% of households predict that they will switch to digital television by 2006. Welcoming the findings, Jowell said: “So far 30% of households have digital television and this figure could increase to 55% over the next five years.” She added: “These figures are encouraging. We want to see the benefits of greater choice and better quality television available to the widest number as quickly as possible.”
According to Jowell: “The government has been working closely with broadcasters, manufacturers, retailers and consumer groups… Much has been done to make sure that people understand the benefits of digital switchover.”
Jowell listed a number of government initiatives, designed to encourage the digital switch over, such as digital neighbourhood schemes, which provide a series of areas with free conversion to digital, a digital labelling scheme, to help consumers buy digital televisions and a viewer’s panel, set up to represent the public’s point of view on the progress of the digital switch over.
The publication of the digital television survey comes just days after ITV boss, Stuart Prebble, attacked the government for not doing enough to promote the digital switch over and confirms that a major push will be needed if the government is to switch off the analogue signal between 2006 and 2010 as planned.
