4% of Western European households have IPTV

Canalys estimates that 50% of digital TV households in Western Europe today receive service by satellite, with 24% using terrestrial broadcast, followed by 22% on cable and 4% via IPTV. Although the majority of European digital TV viewers are still paying for the privilege, free services are growing quickly and already account for more than 20% of the market. Canalys expects over 40% of European digital TV households to be using only the free services by 2008.The Western Europe digital TV market passed 50 million households in the first half of 2005. Satellite is the leading delivery technology, though terrestrial, cable and IPTV are gaining momentum. Uptake of digital TV, and the technology used, varies widely by country. Free-to-air and pay-TV development will influence channel strategy for consumer electronics vendors.