Freesat ‘fastest growing platform’
May 1, 2013
Freesat, the UK’s FTA digital satellite television provider has announced strong 2012/13 results as the company celebrates its fifth anniversary. Having added around 150,000 homes in the last 12 months, Freesat lays claim to being the UK’s fastest growing established TV platform, and says it continues to outgrow pay-TV rivals.
According to Freesat’s own customer research, 51 per cent of homes that joined the free TV service in 2012/13 were from pay-TV rivals. The research also indicated that just over 25 per cent of homes are considering changing TV service provider in 2013, and of these, 60 per cent are being driven by the desire to save money.
Emma Scott, Freesat’s Managing Director said: “Freesat is truly a TV platform of choice. Our consistently positive results demonstrate fantastic growth and a strong appetite for high quality, good value TV, in a challenging economic environment. The success of our <free time> service with its cutting edge TV Guide and on-demand services including BBC iPlayer, ITV Player and YouTube, gives yet more sensible reasons to switch to Freesat.
“Everyone of us across the UK is continually reassessing how we spend our money, and with 79 per cent of viewing across all platforms, including pay, going to free channels, and 52 per cent going to the top 5 channels – having a monthly TV subscription just doesn’t make sense for most people.”
Freesat has now sold 3.2 million units, far exceeding original sales projections and taking total gross retail UK sales to £1.2 billion (€1.48bn) since launch in May 2008. Freesat will grow the <free time> features over time, including a remote record app for smart phones and tablets as well as the introduction of additional movie and music services.