A new report from Informa Telecoms and Media shows that the number of digital TV households in Western Europe will nearly double over the next five years, from 61 million in 2006 to 116 million in 2011. The UK is currently the single largest digital TV market in Europe and this will continue to be the case by 2011, according to Informa.
At nearly 80% of households, the United Kingdom has by far the highest digital TV penetration in Europe. Its nearest rivals are Sweden and Finland — both of which are approximately 27 percentage points in arrears, according to Strategy Analytics.
Digital TV penetration differs in each country because of the specific dynamics of each country's TV market. In the UK, digital TV is widely available via cable, satellite and terrestrial platforms. According to Informa, by 2011 40% of all digital TV households in the UK will receive their TV via terrestrial signals, compared with only 8% in Germany. IPTV is also developing differently in different markets. While 15% of TV households in France will receive their digital TV via IPTV in 2011, only 5% of UK households will be watching their TV over the Internet.
For more information on IPTV, see eMarketer's IPTV: The Global Picture report.