Britain will license its 1,000th television channel in the New year - more than any other country apart from the U.S.
Figures from the broadcasting watchdog Ofcom, show that 948 stations have permission to air on terrestial, cable, Freeview and Sky services in Britain.
They range from the Sikh Channel and Espanola Internacional to Psychic TV or learning yoga with Body In Balance TV.
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Ofcom believes the 1,000th will be granted in early 2011.
Mark Lawson, presenter of Radio 4's arts and entertainment show Front Row, told the Sunday Times that figure would have a 'big symbolic significance.'
He added: 'It wasn't really that long ago that we saw the launch of Channel 4 (1982) and then Channel 5 (1997), so the 1,000th licence will be a landmark.
'But the danger, as most people will probably acknowledge, is that the opening up of television was never about quality - it was mainly about quantity.'
The number of home shopping channels has exploded with 45 now available with celebrities appearing on screen to back their brands and pop stars like Charlotte Church and Jamie Callum launching their albums.
Ofcom has licensed 54 movie channels, including at least two Bollywood stations, 45 music channels which cater for all tastes from hip-hop and classical.
There are religious channels including Revelation which is run by a couple in Surrey. They have 'no idea' how many viewers they have.
The jump in the number of stations has been attributed in part to the low start-up cost with £2,500 to bid for a licence and a £1,000 annual fee.
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