The UK is one of the most digitally advanced nations in the world, according to new research from Ofcom.
Not only do 86% of UK households now have digital TV on their main set, but services like HDTV and digital video recorders are also growing in popularity.
A survey from NDS published in September revealed that more than 70% of UK digital video recorder owners said that they cannot live without their machines (see 70% Of DVR Owners Say They Can’t Live Without It).
The latest Ofcom research, its third International Communications Market Report, examines the take-up of communication services in 12 established industrialised economies, as well as the fast growing economies of Brazil, India, Russia and China.
China had over 88 million new mobile phone connections in 2007 – more than the entire number of mobile phone subscriptions in the UK, while Italy has the highest number of mobile-only households at nearly 40%.
The research also shows that 30% of people in the UK own a DVR and there has been a huge take-up of HD subscriptions since 2006, especially in the UK, the USA and Canada.
There are now nine million HD subscribers across the seven larger countries surveyed, two thirds of whom are in the US.
The UK leads take-up in Europe with 700,000 HD households, higher than the number of HD households in France, Germany and Italy combined.
In August, Informa Telecoms & Media forecast that digital homes in Western Europe would reach 104 million by the end of 2008, rising to 157 million by 2013, equivalent to a 90% penetration rate (see Western European Digital TV Penetration To Reach 54%).
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