A third of Sky and Virgin Media subscribers no longer bother connecting to a UHF aerial, according to Mark Oliver, chief executive, Oliver & Ohlbaum Associates. However, 40% of subscribers would switch back to such an aerial if the main networks were no longer available on the menu.
Discussing the findings contained in a presentation entitled Making Money in the On Demand Media Age, based on a survey undertaken by O &O last month, Oliver also said that relatively few subscribers in the UK are thinking of upgrading to pay-TV, which still faces a 60% penetration barrier.
Furthermore, bundling of TV and broadband is working for BT, Sky and Virgin Media, and while Freeview is the leading extra TV set digital choice across the UK (41% of all such sets), Sky and Virgin Media have both made some progress with their multiroom options.
There is also strong evidence of “device mania” taking root in the UK, with two-thirds of internet homes now having an HD ready TV set, iPOD/MP3 player and a games console.
