70% Of DVR Owners Say They Can’t Live Without It

More than 70% of UK digital video recorder (DVR) owners say that they cannot live without their machines, according to a new survey commissioned by NDS.

According to the survey, which asked respondents to rank relative importance of a list of household appliances, apart from the washing machine and the microwave oven, no other household item was deemed more essential than the DVR.

The vast majority of respondents would rather give up their landline phone, dishwasher, radio and MP3 player than their DVR.

The survey also reveals that over 60% of DVR owners with a partner felt that having a DVR had improved their relationship.

In the US, UK and Australia, respondents attributed this improvement to having the ability to watch their own programmes while sharing their favourites with each other. Surveyed Italians feel that their improved relationship happiness is due to the DVR allowing them to plan their evening’s viewing better.

Many respondents with only one DVR are keen to get a second one: 30% of Britons, 52% of Americans, 49% of Australians and 57% of Italians, while 9% of Americans, 81% of British, 80% of Australians and 78% of Italians all reported that the DVR has improved how much they enjoy watching television.

Nigel Smith, chief marketing officer of NDS, said: “We commissioned this consumer survey to celebrate the milestone announcement that NDS technology now resides in over 13 million DVRs worldwide, making us the global leader in this market.

“The survey results show just how fast the DVR has become an indispensable part of people’s lives in the UK, US, Italy and Australia. It’s one of those technologies that, once tried, has you wondering how you coped before.”

The recent Tiscali TV Trends Report 2008 revealed that more than a third of British consumers (37%) are now regularly watching on demand content, with almost two thirds of British consumers (64%) saying traditional TV schedules restrict their viewing too much.

NDS: www.nds.com