Full Digital TV Penetration Not Expected Until 2014
Many countries have experienced impressive growth in the popularity of digital television, but none are expected to have 100% digital penetration until 2014, says a new report from Informa Media Group.
The Global Digital TV Forecasts report shows, by the next ten years, Canada, Finland, Ireland, Norway and the US will have full digital penetration, with the UK, Denmark, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Sweden and Taiwan switching in 2015, followed by the rest of the world in 2016 and onwards.
The predicted UK date by Informa may come as no surprise to many within the British television industry, despite the official government target date for analogue switch-off being 2010.
The government has met some criticism about its optimism for the digital switch-over, with many, including the BBC, asking for an extension to this and for more robust plans to be put in place to ensure a smoother transition to digital television in the UK.
Informa says that the switch from analogue to digital has a number of challenges to overcome before being fully adopted by any country. These include consumer resistance from late adopters, political implications of Governments insisting on analogue switch-off and operators in developing countries being unable to afford upgrades.
Despite having to wait another 10 years for the first five countries to become fully digital-enabled, Informa has predicted that by the end of this year, 116 million (12%) homes world-wide will receive digital television, with this figure increasing to 370 million (34%) by the end of 2010.
In the UK, the number of new digital homes being added a year will peak from 2007 and 2010, between 13.2 million and 14.8 million. The UK is also set for faster growth than the US during this period, with annual additions in the US reaching a maximum of 10.6 million.
Informa Media: www.informa.com
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