Women Take Control In DVR Homes

New research from America shows that women are the principal users of digital video recorder (DVR) technology, with men seemingly relenting their stereotypical control of family TV viewing.

In a national survey of 1,000 DVR users, the study showed 48% of married women making the decision to buy into the technology, while 55% believed they had a better grasp, and firmer understanding of the device, and its capabilities.

The study, commissioned by Lifetime, also showed that, while 99% admitted to skipping advertising where possible, 76% also claimed to use the device to isolate interesting or entertaining commercial messages.

Explaining the findings, Tim Brooks, Lifetime’s senior vice president of research, said: “DVRs give them a mechanism to find commercials that are relevant, and that’s a big message. It’s not that people don’t want commercials, it’s irrelevant interruptions that turn them off.”

The research also showed a high level of brand awareness remaining amongst DVR users, despite ad-avoidance techniques, with 94% of those who fast-forwarded commercials stating that they could still recognise brands, despite their high-speed and lack of sound.

The main attraction to DVRs, according to the survey, is not the opportunity for ad-avoidance, but ease of use. “Three quarters of the women surveyed said that the reason they fell in love with DVR is that they are extremely intuitive and much easier than a VCR,” Brooks explained. “Rather than selling DVRs as ‘techie tools’ and having marketing messages coming from the engineering department, operators need to simplify their pitches.”

The survey also found a high propensity for users of the technology to recommend it to friends and family, with 98% of women surveyed stating that they would recommend it, and 94% claiming the service was “worth the cost.”