DVRs are able to hold large of amounts of programming on hard disk and can ‘learn’ which types of programme the viewer would like to have recorded. They also allow for fast zipping around between programmes, programme sections and through advertisements. Accordingly, their arrival has caused some waves of anxiety to ripple through the television industry (see
Insight Analysis: Should Advertisers Fear Digital Video Recorders?).
The Leichtman research found that just 5% of cable and satellite viewers claimed to be very familiar with the product and only 17% of this group expressed a strong interest in owning a DVR, a total that is unchanged from an Leichtman survey conducted one year earlier.
“Despite rave reviews from early adopters, DVRs have not yet broken through to the mainstream and achieved widespread consumer interest,” said Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst for Leichtman Research Group. “While future opportunities for on-demand TV abound, for the moment, consumer acceptance of DVR services clearly remains in a nascent stage.”
The findings of the study are based on a survey of 1,250 households throughout the US in areas where cable television is available and are part of an upcoming research study, On-Demand TV: A Nationwide Study of Consumers’ Perspectives.
