Will UK Government Subsidies be Needed to Complete DTV Transition?

An article in the The Guardian says the United Kingdom may have to subsidize the purchase of adaptors and digital TV sets to complete the digital TV transition. Before analog TV can be shut off, at least 95 percent of the population must be able to receive DTV. The article, Report calls for digital subsidy, quoted David Mercer, principal analyst at Strategy Analytics, saying "People are getting very excited by the success of Freeview, but there's still a long way to go. It's not so much about getting the majority of households to take digital TV, it's converting all the second and third sets and video recorders." The article said about 44 percent of UK households now watch digital television.