More than 15m households now have some form of digital TV

The digital terrestrial TV service, which was launched in 2002, now reaches 6.4m households.

There are 8m homes who subscribe to the Sky satellite service, while cable has more than 3m.

Freeview chief Ilse Howling said the expanded range of channels available on the service is attracting a younger audience compared to its launch.

Growth

E4, More4, ITV4 and Sky Three are among the stations which have been added to Freeview's portfolio of more than 30 channels, with FilmFour the next to launch.

Channels with a more youthful appeal have encouraged younger people to buy set-top boxes, Ms Howling, the company's general manager, added.

But a recent survey by broadcasting regulator Ofcom suggested that fewer younger people are watching television as a whole.

More than twenty radio stations are also offered on the Freeview service.

Some 70,000 set-top boxes were sold in January, while an increase in sales of hard-disk recorders fitted with Freeview decoders and digitally-enabled TV sets have contributed to a growth in digital reach.

Sales of Freeview products in the first part of 2006 have increased by over a third compared with the same time last year.