Freeview Now in 4 million Homes?

19th June 2004

Just 2 weeks after Ofcom released figures (see entry for June 3rd below) showing that the number of homes with Freeview had reached 3.5 million by the end of March this year, the BBC have released more up-to-date figures showing that Freeview is now in 4 million homes.

The MediaGuardian has taken issue with the BBC about these figures, accusing it of manipulating the figures because of the difficulty of relating the number of receivers sold with the number of homes Freeview is now in. The total number of Freeview receivers out there is relatively easy to track using sales data and historical ITV Digital figures, and this figure has now reached 4.4 million receivers. The BBC claim that they use a "complex formula to discount those who are buying second or third boxes" and have arrived at the total number of homes with Freeview to be 4 million. The MediaGuardian drew on TV audience research body BARB's figures which show that Freeview was only in 2.9 million homes.