UK communications regulator Ofcom today published its Communications Market: Digital Television Progress Report for the fourth quarter of 2006 (October-December). The report shows that at the end of 2006 almost half (48.5%) of the UKs 60 million television sets were connected to a digital device, up from 44.7% in the previous quarter and 39% at the end of 2005. During the quarter a further 1 million UK homes acquired digital television for the first time. In total, 77.2% of homes now have some form of digital television, up from 73.3% in the third quarter of 2006 and 69.5% at the end of 2005.
The quarter also saw continued growth in the number of secondary sets converted to digital. Over 9 million second sets are now connected to a digital device up from 7.9 million last quarter and just over 6 million a year ago.
