Freesat, a satellite television service launched in May 2008 by the BBC and ITV, has reached its first major milestone; 100,000 sales.
The achievement comes less then fives month since its May 6th launch, but the free-to-air service has some way to go in order to capture some of the eight-million customers subscribed to the rival satellite service from BSkyB.
Freesat credits its steady growth to the summer of sport, and its high-definition coverage of Euro 2008, Wimbledon and the Beijing Olympics proved to be primary reasons for consumer interest. The service, available to almost all UK residents, provides HD programming and carries no contract and no subscription.
Emma Scott, managing director of Freesat, said:
"There’s no denying how much people enjoy watching in high-definition once they see it for themselves and the success of Freesat proves that. Unfortunately there are still a lot of people out there who think they’re already watching in HD because they have an HD ready TV - but they aren’t."
"We want to help everyone understand that HD Ready is not the same thing as HD now. Without an HD digital receiver connected to an HD Ready TV or an integrated TV with Freesat HD built in you can’t watch an HD TV programme. It needn’t be complicated or costly. For those people that already have a satellite dish installed, they may simply be able to take their Freesat digital box or integrated TV home and plug it straight in."
Looking forward, Freesat has announced that it will continue to expand its service with the launch of its HD-ready Freesat PVR, dubbed Freesat+. In addition, it will increase the number of manufacturers and retailers, and launch new channels on a monthly basis.
So far so good, and the launch of Freesat+ in November will only generate further interest.
Official product page: Freesat.co.uk
