One in every four pay television subscribers now receives their signal from a direct-to-home satellite service, says a new study. However, the explosive growth of satellite subscription services has declined, leaving cable the dominant player and growth engine for pay television.
Although the use of premium TV services continues to increase overall, the market penetration for satellite TV has leveled off, says a recent study by Solomon-Wolff Associates, a New Jersey-based market research firm.
Cable TV continues to dominate the premium TV market with 75 percent of households and its market penetration is still increasing. “DirecTV and Dish Network together now account for one out of four households that use premium TV services, but their growth has waned,” said Joey Wolff, partner, Solomon-Wolff Associates. “Cable TV services are now having more success in holding customers, getting new premium TV customers and getting back some who had switched to satellite TV.”
The satisfaction levels for both types of premium TV services have increased over the past year, but satellite TV continues to have a higher percentage of users that are completely satisfied. While 22 percent of cable TV users are completely satisfied with their service, 34 percent of satellite TV users are completely satisfied, the study found.
“There are significant differences in satisfaction between brands,” Wolff noted. “DirecTV has the highest satisfaction level, with 38 percent of their users being completely satisfied. The major cable TV service with the highest satisfaction level is Cox Cable, with 29 percent of its customers completely satisfied with their service.”
For information on the study, contact Joey Wolff at (973) 263-1409 or via email at: sjwolff@consumerviews.com.
