Datamonitor unveiled a comprehensive report this summer that predicts larger growth of digital TV purchases in Europe than in the United States from 2004-2008. According to the report, entitled “Digital TV markets 2004: Development of the Western European and US markets to 2008,” the European market will triple over that time span, while the U.S. will only see an increase of 36 percent. Europe will overtake the U.S. sometime in 2006.
The report predicts that the European digital TV market will grow from 31 million households by the end of 2003 to 89 million households at the end of 2007, with most growth coming from digital cable and terrestrial services. Digital TV penetration will reach more than half Europe and the U.S.’s respective populations by 2007, according to the report. The UK will hold onto its place as the continent’s leader in digital TV sales throughout Europe’s sales spike. The report cited the success of Sky's satellite and Freeview as having the potential to boost digital TV penetration as high as 82 percent by the end of 2008 in the UK.
The report is available now. It examines in detail the future of digital TV purchase activity in the US, UK, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Portugal, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Austria and Belgium.
