Digital TV News

Over 25% of Brits now watching HD TV

Monday 17 May, 2010

By Becca Talbot - becca@consumerchoices.co.uk

Over a quarter of UK homes are now enjoying the benefits of high-definition (HD) TV, according to a new survey by consumer watchdog Which?.

More than 25% of Brits are watching their favourite programmes in high-definition (HD), either via a subscription to Sky or Virgin Media or via Freesat, according to a survey by Which?

However, over a third of those watching a HD TV service said they would consider switching to Freeview HD when it becomes available in their area.

Freeview HD, which was launched on 30 March this year, is the subscription-free HD TV service from digital TV provider Freeview.

Jon Ingram, operations director at Digitalchoices.co.uk, said: “It’s interesting to see that many households are considering ditching their subscription HD service for a free one; however those looking for the widest variety of high-definition channels should stick with Sky or Virgin Media.”

Consumer champion Which? said that eight in 10 Brits are now aware of Freeview HD.

Households with Freeview HD are able to watch the BBC HD, ITV1 HD and C4 HD channels in super sharp high-definition without paying a monthly subscription.

One in 10 survey respondents said they knew a great deal about the Freeview HD, while 17% claimed to know nothing at all about the service, in the survey of 2,324 Brits.

Freeview HD is being rolled out across the UK, and is not yet available in all areas. However, Freeview has said that by the time the 2010 World Cup kicks off on 11 June, 50% of UK homes will be able to access the service.

Ingram added: “To watch Freeview HD though, you must remember that you will need a HD ready TV connected by a HDMI cable to a high-definition enabled set-top box.”

The first Freeview HD set-top boxes hit the shops earlier this year, and TVs with built-in Freeview HD are now available from most manufacturers, including Panasonic, Sony and Samsung.