More than 2 million Freeview set top boxes or TV sets were sold in the run-up to Christmas, making it the best quarter on record for the digital terrestrial service.
Sales of Freeview receiver equipment now stand at 15 million since the service was launched from the ashes of ITV Digital in October 2002.
Freeview said the final quarter of last year saw strong sales for all products, including digital set top boxes, television sets with digital receivers, and digital TV recorders, where sales have doubled year on year to 90,000.
The digital TV service provides access to around 40 TV channels and 20 radio stations free of charge, beyond the initial outlay for equipment and the payment of the annual licence fee. Some people may also need to upgrade their aerial to receive Freeview.
Freeview has been hugely popular over the past four years and contributed, along with the growth of Sky Digital pay-TV, to the swift uptake of digital television in the UK.
Media watchdog Ofcom's most recent figures showed that by the end of September, 9.3 million UK households had Freeview on at least one set in the home.
And for just over 7 million households, Freeview was their only source of digital television.
The Freeview brand is owned and marketed by a consortium formed by the BBC, National Grid Wireless, BSkyB, ITV and Channel 4.
source
Freeview unit sales hit record high 
Threaded Mode
