AfterDawn: News

DTV penetration in U.S. and Western Europe to surge

The transition from analog to all-digital broadcasts will be completed in the U.S. by February 2009, and most Western European countries will terminate analog TV broadcasts by 2012, will help to drive a predicted demand for digital television services. Other factors will also drive DTV's penetration in the U.S. and Western Europe, such as the growth of bundle offers of different services, a demand for better quality and more content.

According to a Datamonitor report, DTV is expected to grow by an average of 12% year-on-year. It predicts that the 158 million households using DTV services in Western Europe and the U.S. in 2007, will grow to 274 million digital TV households by 2012. For most national markers, the significant increases will start to show within 12 months of the DTV transition deadline in the country.



Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) households in Europe and the US will increase from 26 million in 2007 to 55 million by 2012, according to the report. This will amount to an average annual growth of 16%. The report predicts a large migration away from free-to-air services as bundle packages and content are improved by more providers in the regions.

Digital cable services and DTT will be the two fastest growing platforms, predicted to achieve achieve net household increases of 50 million and 30 million, respectively. Among other platforms, IPTV will gain an average yearly growth at around 28%, reaching almost 23 million households by 2012. Satellite services will achieve a moderate 5.5% growth, which still amounts to a 20 million increase in subscribers by 2012.

Written by: James Delahunty @ 23 Aug 2008 22:12

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• 6 comments

• DXR88

  My biggest concern about the switch over is the lack of portable digital TV's. the second that takes the list, is the concern of improper use of Broadcast Flags that the DTV will use to protect content from OTA recording's. it simply exerts to much power to those who it shouldn't concern.
  
  Granted if its electrical it can be reverse engineered in do time.

  23.8.2008 23:58 #1

• engage16

  My biggest concern is the fact that I can't even watch TV after the switch...

  24.8.2008 02:12 #2

• snowlock

  my concern is the fact that i don't see any good in the switch.
  this benefits an average consumer in absolutely no way.
  
  even if you get the vouchers for the converters,
  each one will still cost you at least $10.
  the cheapest one is at walmart for $50,
  but i don't see the stores being the big winner either.
  
  i've tried to inform anyone who is confused or affected,
  and most were as totally confused as one might think.
  many people who asked me about it had cable,
  but still didn't yet understand they had no worries.
  this makes me certain that many will spend money for no reason.
  
  i'm guessing most people will subscribe to cable/satellite
  or maybe buy a brand new hdtv they otherwise wouldn't have.
  
  
  
  so tell me, who benefits from dtv?

  25.8.2008 02:24 #3

• Blackjax

  Dela nice article. Penetration is right! I understand that airwaves need to be cleared due to congestion BUT until the broadcast flags are dead and buried all of us will be grabbing our ankles and grimacing.
  
  "Want to record that show? Sorry pal we think you should pay twice for it now bend over!"

  26.8.2008 05:21 #4

• keno777

  problems with dtv:
  1.great picture or none at all
  2.signal is lost with small wind
  3.with hd you only have 2/3 of picture with 4x3 90% of time
  4.on a 55" tv you only get a 37" picture and less with 16 x 9
  5.you can increase the picture screen but the pictures are not good.
  6.the fcc have not done their job. we needed a real standard.
  7.we need a real free to air system like other countries.
  
  keno

  1.9.2008 09:00 #5

• DXR88

  there is no congestion in the airwaves, its a spin to give the suites the okay. you see there already got people with billions lining up to bid on the free frequency's thus entirely destroys the congested airwave theory.
  
  government wants cash, and the suits want control what better way to do this than sell the most reliable frequency's in RF history,and let the suits devise new idea's while the FCC is on the side screaming you cant do that, all while the suits are singing its are invention and we can do what we want.

  1.9.2008 14:30 #6