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29|06|09

Digital recorders

TV viewers are taking more control over how and when they watch television, new Ofcom research reveals today.

It shows that sales of digital video recorders (DVRs) - which let viewers pause, store and rewind live programmes - have now reached almost nine million.

Nearly a million of those were sold in the first three months of 2009 alone.

The Digital Progress Report - which looks at the first quarter of 2009 - reveals that some five million Sky customers now have its digital recording service,  Sky+.

Digital video recorders

There are now more than 2.6 million Freeview digital video recorders, such as Freeview +, as well as around 600,000 Virgin Media subscribers with a V+ service, and a  further 600,000 homes with BT Vision and Top Up TV.

What are digital video recorders?

Viewers are also choosing more sophisticated ways of enjoying television, with nearly two million (1.9 million) households in the UK with access to high definition (HD) channels.

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

The total number of households with a Freeview device on any set reached 18.0 million, up from 17.7 million during the quarter.

High definition

BSkyB reported that its customer base grew by 80,000 to over 9.3 million households in the UK and Ireland during the first three months of 2009.

Sales of the BBC/ITV Freesat service reached 350,000 by the end of March, up from 230,000 sales in the previous quarter. Of these, almost three-quarters of sales were HD ready receivers.

And the total number of cable TV customers reached its highest ever figure, with 3.65 million subscribing to Virgin Media, up by almost 137,000 in twelve months

Over half of these customers were using its video on demand (VoD) service

Read the full Digital Progress Report

 

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