Ipsos Finds UK Digital TV Stalling

The recent decline of the monkey is not the only bad news for Britain's digital TV industry. Overall uptake is believed to have stalled at a third (36%) of all homes receiving digital TV. This is the same percentage as six months ago, according to the latest research from Ipsos-RSL's Digital Audience Research Tracker (DART).

The research, conducted from 12 and 18 April on a sample of 2,000 people, was conducted after ITV Digital was taken into administration. This aside, the DART research shows that only three percent of all analogue households intend to switch to digital within the next year.

Resistance to the new form signal is also strong with 13.8 million adults who are not planning on getting digital TV in the next year, saying nothing would change their mind. The cited main reason for this is their satisfaction with existing analogue channels - nearly half of all analogue viewers (45%) claim to be happy with their current channels.

Liz Landy, managing director of Ipsos-RSL, comments, 'With the collapse of ITV Digital and the ensuing upheaval and uncertainty in the digital TV market, Ipsos-RSL's research shows that the nation is not actively progressing towards a digital society. Understanding what people want out of their in-home entertainment will be ever more important if digital switch-off is to take place before 2010.'

DART is a quarterly survey covering all aspects of digital TV from planned uptake to use of the electronic programme guide. It is conducted on Capibus, the Ipsos UK omnibus, using a national weekly sample of 2,000 people in their homes across the GB.

All articles 2006-22 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas unless otherwise stated.

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