After more than 40 years of operation, DTVE is closing its doors and our website will no longer be updated daily. Thank you for all of your support.
Freeview passes 100m device milestone
UK digital-terrestrial platform Freeview has passed the milestone of 100 million integrated digital-terrestrial TVs and set-top boxes sold since the platform launched in 2002.
The figure includes all televisions, set-top boxes and DVD and Blu-ray devices with an inbuilt Freeview DVB-T SD or HD tuner.
Integrated digital televisions with an inbuilt DVB-T SD or HD tuner make up two thirds of Freeview units sold, at just over 70 million. Freeview+ DVRs account for over six million sales, while HD TVs and boxes account for 16 million sales, with TVs accounting for 98% of these sales.
Freeview is currently building up to the launch of its Freeview Play connected TV service providing access to broadcaster catch-up services. The platform operator noted that sales of smart TVs in the UK accounted for 48% of total sales in 2014, up from 9% four years earlier.
“Reaching this milestone is testament to the ongoing popularity of the Freeview service. Since its launch we’ve taken the country from analogue to digital, linear to time-shifted, and SD to HD. Soon, we will take our viewers from digital to a connected TV world with Freeview Play,” said Guy North, managing director of Freeview.
“There’s a great opportunity for Freeview Play to reach scale in the connected TV market. We will bring simplicity to what is a very confusing market for people right across the UK, and expect Freeview Play to become the new norm in how we watch television in the future.”