More than 80 Percent of Americans with a DVR Can’t Live Without It According to NDS Survey
Survey Highlights:
According to the NDS DVR Report, an international survey of over 1,000
DVR owners:
- Americans rank the DVR as the third most indispensible
household item (62%), after the washing machine (97%) and the
microwave oven (86%)
- Americans rank the DVR as the second most essential household
technology item they can’t live without (81%), beaten
only by the mobile phone (92%)
- 3 out of 4 respondents with partners say that having a
DVR makes for a happier home life
LONDON, UK, COSTA MESA, USA – September 3, 2008 – More
than 80% of Americans say that they can’t live without
a Digital Video Recorder (DVR), according to a new survey of
DVR owners commissioned by NDS,
the leading provider of technology solutions for digital pay-TV.
A DVR or personal video recorder (PVR) lets you record TV shows
in digital format to a disk drive within the TV set-top box.
NDS technology allows satellite TV subscribers to pause live
TV, record, play back, rewind and fast forward their TV programs
for viewing when they choose.
Other than the washing machine (97% of respondents) and the
microwave oven (86%), no other household item is deemed more
essential than the DVR (62%) in today’s US homes. And when
it comes to essential technology gadgets, the DVR (81%) is second
only to the mobile phone (92%), as the item Americans cannot
live without. Intriguingly, the vast majority of respondents
would rather give up their landline phone, dishwasher, radio,
hairdryer and MP3 player than their DVR.
The survey also reveals that owning a DVR can make for a happier,
less stressful home life. 81% of respondents with families believe
that having a DVR has improved family life – allowing for
more time to eat dinner together, fewer arguments over what to
watch and more family time around the television. Having a DVR
also seems to improve relations between the sexes, with respondents
who have partners saying that using a DVR has improved their
relationship with their partner (79%).
One respondent from Nevada commented: “My wife can watch
all her shows during the day and record a Japanese movie at night,
while we are watching something of mutual interest together.”
NDS is the global leader in DVR technology. Over 18 pay-TV operators
located all over the world have chosen NDS solutions to bring
the unique capabilities and flexibility of the DVR to their subscribers,
and there are more than 13.1 million NDS-powered DVRs in households
around the world today.
NDS wanted to know how DVRs are changing people’s lives.
The statistics and trends detailed in the NDS DVR Report demonstrate
the importance of the DVR’s role in the lives of American
consumers of all ages.
Other Report Highlights
- 57% of American DVR owners watch more than three hours
of live or recorded TV daily
- Male DVR owners watch more recorded TV on average than women
(2.2 hours vs. 2.0 hours)
- 67% think that a DVR is much easier to operate than a video
cassette recorder (VCR)
- 59% find that they are watching more interesting TV programmes
since getting a DVR
- 83% agree that since getting a DVR they are more likely to
find something to watch, when they want to watch TV
- More than half of DVR owners with a family found that they
are now able to arrange more family TV time
- Nearly nine out of ten DVR owners think that having a DVR
has improved how much they enjoy watching TV
- 52% of people who own just one DVR are so pleased with it
that they would like to get a second one
“The results show how fast the DVR has become an indispensable
part of many people’s lives in the US,” said Steve
Tranter, Vice President, Broadband and Interactive Delivery,
NDS Americas. “It’s one of those technologies that,
once you use it, it makes you wonder how you coped before. Other
than the washing machine, the mobile phone and the microwave,
the DVR is now seen as the household item people would least
like to give up, which means they would rather wash up their
dishes and manage without a hairdryer than be parted from their
DVR! And if having a DVR also makes relationships with partners
and immediate family less stressful and happier, it’s got
to be a good thing.”
Highlights: UK, US, Australia and Italy comparisons
Comparisons with the results from the same survey that was conducted
simultaneously in the UK, Italy and Australia also make for interesting
reading. A few highlights are:
- British DVR owners reportedly watch the least TV per day
(3.7 hours), while the Americans watch the most at 4.7 hours
a day. Americans in their 40s watch a whopping 5.4 hours a
day
- Italian DVR owners care more about their hair than their
DVR: British (70%), American (62%) and Australian (67%) DVR
owners all rank the DVR as the third most important household
item, while the Italians ranked the DVR in fourth place (59%)
after the washing machine, the microwave and the hairdryer
- DVR owners with families in the other three surveyed countries
place an even greater emphasis than the Brits on the power
of the DVR to improve relationships between family members:
82% of Italians, 81% of Americans and 76% of Australians felt
that this was the case, compared to 64% of Brits
- Around half of Italian (57%), American (44%) and Australian
(49%) DVR owners with just one DVR are keen to get a second
one, compared to just 30% of British DVR owners.
Summary of Key Findings – All Four Surveyed Markets
| Question |
UK |
US |
Italy |
Australia |
| Average number of hours of TV watched per day (live & recorded) |
3.7 |
4.7 |
4.1 |
3.8 |
| Agree that since getting a DVR they are more likely to
find something to watch, when they want to watch |
77% |
83% |
75% |
72% |
| Those with partners who found that having a DVR has improved their
relationship |
62% |
79% |
78% |
78% |
| Those with families who found that having a DVR has improved family
life |
64% |
81% |
82% |
76% |
| Those with one DVR who would like to get a second |
30% |
52% |
57% |
49% |
| Ranked the DVR as the second most indispensable household technology
item, after the mobile phone |
78% |
81% |
73% |
75% |
| Ranked the DVR as the third most indispensable household item after
the washing machine and the microwave |
70% |
62% |
59%*
*ranked fourth |
67% |
Slides for key questions: US only
Here’s a list of eight popular pieces of today’s household
technology – but you can only have four – which four have become
a vital part of your life and which could you live without?
| |
Keep |
Can Live Without |
| Mobile phone |
92% |
8% |
| Radio |
52% |
48% |
| iPod |
36% |
64% |
| Digital video recorder for the TV |
81% |
19% |
| Landline telephone |
42% |
58% |
| Home theatre system |
36% |
64% |
| Photo printer |
34% |
66% |
| Games console |
25% |
75% |
Here’s a list of eight useful household items – but
you can only have four – which four have become a vital
part of your life and which could you live without?
| |
Keep |
Can Live Without |
| Washing machine |
97% |
3% |
| Strimmer |
12% |
88% |
| Microwave |
86% |
14% |
| Digital video recorder for the TV |
62% |
38% |
| Coffee maker |
40% |
60% |
| Blender |
12% |
88% |
| Hairdryer |
31% |
69% |
| Dishwasher |
59% |
41% |
Research
methodology
The survey was carried out by UK-based Consumer Analysis Group
in July 2008. The survey involved 1,012 people aged 18-70 years
old who have a DVR at home. Consumers in the UK (256), US (252),
Italy (251) and Australia (253), were questioned using a mix
of phone, street and online interviews.
For a copy of the complete NDS DVR Survey please click
here or email Tracey Sheehy at tsheehy@breakawaycom.com.
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About NDS
NDS Group plc (NASDAQ: NNDS), a majority owned subsidiary of
News Corporation, supplies open end-to-end digital technology
and services to digital pay-television platform operators and
content providers. See www.nds.com for
more information about NDS.
Read about the latest developments at NDS and in the Pay TV
industry in World Vision
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