Sales of digital video recorders up one million

Sales of digital video recorders that allow viewers to pause, store and rewind live programmes are up by almost one million, according to Ofcom’s latest research.

The media regulator’s Digital Progress Report for Q1 2009 found that almost nine million digital video recorders have now been sold in total, after sales soared by one million in the first quarter.

Ofcom said viewers are taking greater control over the way they watch television and choosing more sophisticated ways of enjoying television, with nearly two million households in the UK now accessing high definition channels.

The report shows that five million Sky customers now have the Sky+ service, more than 2.6 million Freeview viewers have digital video recorders such as Freeview +, while 600,000 Virgin Media subscribers have the V+ service and a further 600,000 homes have BT Vision and Top UP TV.

The total number of households with a DTT device on any set has now reached 18 million, with Freeview boasting total sales of more than 43 million units.

BSkyB said its customer base grew by 80,000 to over 9.3 million households in the UK and Ireland during quarter one, with 19% of its customers having at least one extra set connected to Sky.

By March 2009, the BBC and ITV Freesat service reported sales of around 350,000, up from 230,000 in the previous quarter, with almost three-quarters of these sales for HD-ready receivers.

Virgin Media also reported its highest ever figures with 3.65 million subscribers, up by almost 137,000 in the last year. Half of all cable customers also use Virgin’s video on demand service.

However, the report found that households with free satellite services were down by around 100,000 compared with the previous quarter.

Ofcom also confirmed that the total number of digital households reached 89.2%, with the digital switchover now underway in the West Country, Border and the Isle of Man.