A new report suggests the UK’s move to watching TV via the internet is moving faster than had previously been predicted.
Previous forecasts suggested the number of UK households without broadband would fall by 10 per cent between 2023 and 2025.
However, according to a report by analysts 3 Reasons on behalf of Freely, the number of homes without broadband actually fell 30 per cent and currently stands at 1.2 million.
The updated forecasts for homes without broadband in 2034 (220,000) now represent around a quarter of the 800,000 originally forecast by the DCMS in 2024, said the report.
Speaking about the report’s findings, Jonathan Thompson, Everyone TV’s CEO, said: “The way audiences engage with TV is changing and these updated forecasts reflect that clear direction of travel. It is vital that any future change in TV distribution is carefully planned and managed, that issues of connectivity and affordability are addressed, and that no viewer is left behind.”
There has been much speculation around how TV will be distributed in the UK in the future, with the government currently committed to the future of DTT until 2035.
However, last month TVBEurope reported that the government is reportedly working on a Green Paper that will summarise plans to phase out and then switch off terrestrial television.
