The number of HD channels available in Europe has reached 941, according to the European Audiovisual Observatory.
The UK (229), Germany (108) and France (95) are home to the highest number of channels.
According to the Observatory, the first three months of 2012 witnessed an important acceleration of the launching of new channels. From 274 at the end of 2009, the number of channels raised to 612 at the end of 2011 and 941 end of September 2012 (+54%).
Sport, film and general entertainment channels (the main private and public service channels) have consistently been the most important HD channels, followed by documentary, entertainment and television fiction channels.
However, the gap between sport and the other genres has increased dramatically in the last year.
Satellite and cable remain the most important platforms for HD delivery, but as of October 2012 there were a total of 116 channels available on various DTT networks across Europe.
The UK is home to many important families of channels including Discovery and National Geographic that target the rest of Europe, while Sky also offers a significant number of HD channels.
France is home to a wide range of Eurosport channels targeting the rest of Europe and Sweden is the origin of the Viasat channels that target the Nordic states.
The HBO family of channels that provide HD channels to a range of countries in Central and Eastern Europe are based in the Czech Republic. The Sky satellite platform in Italy contributes to the HD market with 30 channels. More than half of the adult HD channels in Europe are based in the Netherlands.
