Rachel_Sandford
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The not-for-profit, joint venture between BBC and ITV, Freesat has just announced that it now has over 2 million customers. Providing free-to-air television, the company announced that around 88,000 new homes took Freesat during the 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] quarter of this year. They also announced that almost half of its users, about 47%, came from BSkyB, saying that they have seen a “steady increase” in Sky defectors over time.
Emma Scott, Freesat's managing director said: “We launched three years ago and in that short time have quickly established ourselves as a real challenger and genuine alternative to pay-TV... With five HD channels, access to the BBC and ITV Players, as well as Freesat+ all available subscription-free, we're giving customers a high-quality service without a high price.”
Freesat is basing their numbers on the sales of set-top boxes, revealing that their gross retails are almost at £1bn. However, some are pointing out that this may not be entirely accurate because many TVs are now sold with a Freesat tuner included, and whether the customer really watches via Freesat or hooks their TV up to subscription-TV is not known. They do know that their set-top boxes are in about 1.2million viewing homes, but the number of active users cannot be determined.
The company may have more converts soon, though. The BBC Trust recently gave Freesat permission to offer pay-TV channels, like films; a move that is likely to happen in the next few months. Unfortunately, sports channels will not be included, but with over 150 TV, radio, and interactive channels, viewers still have a lot to do with their Freesat. Channels include BBC HD, BBC One HD, ITV1 HD, 4HD, NHK World HD, ITV1, ITV2, ITV3, and ITV4.
Emma Scott, Freesat's managing director said: “We launched three years ago and in that short time have quickly established ourselves as a real challenger and genuine alternative to pay-TV... With five HD channels, access to the BBC and ITV Players, as well as Freesat+ all available subscription-free, we're giving customers a high-quality service without a high price.”
Freesat is basing their numbers on the sales of set-top boxes, revealing that their gross retails are almost at £1bn. However, some are pointing out that this may not be entirely accurate because many TVs are now sold with a Freesat tuner included, and whether the customer really watches via Freesat or hooks their TV up to subscription-TV is not known. They do know that their set-top boxes are in about 1.2million viewing homes, but the number of active users cannot be determined.
The company may have more converts soon, though. The BBC Trust recently gave Freesat permission to offer pay-TV channels, like films; a move that is likely to happen in the next few months. Unfortunately, sports channels will not be included, but with over 150 TV, radio, and interactive channels, viewers still have a lot to do with their Freesat. Channels include BBC HD, BBC One HD, ITV1 HD, 4HD, NHK World HD, ITV1, ITV2, ITV3, and ITV4.
