Tuesday 15 September 2009

FREESAT TV DELIVERS 600,000 SALES SINCE LAUNCH.

FREESAT TV DELIVERS 600,000 SALES SINCE LAUNCH.



RECORD 50% GROWTH IN LAST QUARTER AS FREESAT BECOMES UK’S 4TH BIGGEST TV SERVICE

Official Freesat TV press release, from your official freesat blog.

Subscription-free digital satellite TV service, Freesat, has delivered sales of 600,000 in a little over a year.

Despite the economic downturn Freesat has had an excellent summer, increasing sales by fifty percent in the last quarter alone, from 400,000 in May to reach 600,000 sales in September. To put this into context, BT Vision has reached 443,000 customers since launching almost three years ago.

Freesat’s strong performance is more positive news for the UK TV industry despite challenging times. According to a report last month by Thinkbox, the television research and marketing body, TV viewing in the first half of this year was up on the five year average to 26.2 hours a week.

Free-to-air programming is proving especially popular with viewers. BARB figures reveal that nine of the ten top multi-channel programmes between January and June 2009 (non-sport) were available subscription-free on free-to-air TV platforms such as Freesat.

Emma Scott, managing director of Freesat comments, "To achieve this level of sales and viewing in such a short space of time is a fantastic achievement and testament to the ever-growing appeal of Freesat, both to consumers and broadcasters.”

“Great innovations such as high definition TV, Freesat+ (digital recording), and a wide range of programming have previously only been available by paying a subscription and are now proving incredibly popular with viewers. Freesat homes consistently rate the service highly, with over ninety percent saying they would recommend to a friend.”

“We’ve had a brilliant summer and are confident that we’ll continue to report outstanding growth, especially in the run up to the World Cup as we attract viewers that want to watch in high definition but without having to pay a subscription no matter where they live in the UK.”

Freesat is also working with the BBC to launch iPlayer in the near future and will be the first wholly subscription free TV platform to offer the award-winning catch-up TV service.

To get Freesat TV, you can use an existing satellite dish, or a dish can be installed for around £80. Freesat is available from Argos, Currys, Comet, John Lewis, Maplin and many independent retailers.

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