Cost Of Digital TV Is Unacceptable, Says Survey

The latest Sensor survey from CIA MediaLab reports that two thirds of the population think that the £200 price of a digital set-top box is unacceptable. The survey also reports that 22% of people are still totally unaware of digital television and over a third have heard of it but do not really know what it is.

Awareness of the new ITV digital channel, ITV2 (see ITV Unveils Digital Details), was also extremely low: 95% of respondents were unaware of its launch. Furthermore, once informed of ITV2 and its content, an enormous 82% of people were not interested and felt that the channel would not affect them.

According to the report, digital television is unlikely to be adopted with any great speed by the British population: the hardware is seen to be too expensive; interactivity is viewed as irrelevant, and more channels or ‘another chance to see’ programming is not motivating enough.

A recent CIA Sensor survey reported that awareness and interest in digital television were both on the increase (see Digital TV Awareness Grows).

CIA MediaLab: 0171 803 2000