December 15, 2008

Comcast: Subs Buying HDTV Sets, But Not Necessarily Service

Two recent independent studies have concluded that more than one-third of Americans who own HDTV sets are not currently watching HD programming. The same studies note that HDTV ownership has increased nearly 50 percent in U.S. households over the past year, prompting Comcast to remind consumers not to forget the HD service when buying an HDTV set at the holidays to ensure they are benefiting from the full HD experience.

The independent HD research was conducted in two separate studies by research firms Leichtman Research Group and Frank N. Magid Associates. Additional findings indicate:

. 43 percent of consumers who have HD programming spend half of their TV time watching HD.

. 33 percent of HDTV owners have more than one HDTV set.

. More than one-quarter of HD viewing homes now have more than one TV set connected to HD service.

. Top-viewed categories of HD continue to be movies, action/drama, concerts and sports.

. Gender differences exist for HD viewing, with 48 percent of men seeking out HD content when sitting down to watch television, while only 31 percent of women do the same.