In 2024, around 7.4% of households in Portugal exclusively used Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT), which allows national mainstream channels to be broadcast live and free of charge, and 16.2% of households simultaneously accessed Pay TV (subscription TV signal distribution service) and DTT in their main residences, a decrease compared to the previous year (-0.9 p.p. and -8.3 p.p. respectively), according to the "Means of access to the TV signal in 2024" report by the Autoridade Nacional de Comunicações (ANACOM).
Moreover, 88.7% of households in main residences relied on Pay TV as their primary means of accessing television signals. Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT), while still utilized, was accessed by 23.7% of households in their main residences, often not as the sole source of TV signal. This marked a significant decline in DTT usage, with the percentage of households accessing DTT in main residences falling by 9.4 percentage points (p.p.) from 2023 to 2024, reaching its lowest level since 2016.
Secondary residences played a notable role in DTT usage, with about 10% of households reporting ownership of secondary residences. Of these, nearly half (46.0%) had some form of DTT access. When combining data from both main and secondary residences, an estimated 25.7% of households had access to TV signals through DTT, reflecting a decrease of 8.7 p.p. from the previous year.
The number of television sets with DTT access saw a sharp decline in 2024, totaling 1.6 million, a drop of 24.6% compared to the previous year. The reduction was largely driven by a 28.5% decrease in TV sets with DTT access in main residences, which accounted for 85% of the total DTT-equipped TVs. Households with DTT access often owned multiple TVs capable of receiving this type of signal, both in their primary and secondary homes.
Geographical disparities in DTT usage were evident. The Alentejo (10.4%), Centre (10.4%), West and Tagus Valley (9.4%) and North (9.3%) regions registered the highest percentage of households with exclusive access to DTT, placing them above the national average. If DTT is considered not necessarily exclusively, these regions also stand out for their greater penetrations (between 26% and 28%). However, the rate of Pay TV penetration was higher than the national average in the autonomous regions (AR), the Setúbal Peninsula and Greater Lisbon.
Household composition and income levels significantly influenced TV signal access preferences. Families with children and higher incomes demonstrated higher rates of Pay TV usage. Conversely, DTT penetration was greater among families without children and lower-income households, with 16.4% of households in the lowest income quintile relying exclusively on DTT. However, single-parent families and two-adult families with children experienced a decline in DTT penetration rates compared to the previous year.
Overall, the data highlights the ongoing transition in television access methods, driven by technological advancements, economic factors, and shifting consumer preferences. As Pay TV continues to gain prominence, the decline of DTT reflects broader trends in the media landscape, with regional and demographic differences shaping the adoption of TV technologies.
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