The percentage of U.S. television households with HD-capable televisions has nearly doubled since last year with 7 percent reporting they had an HDTV as of the end of the third quarter of 2004, according to new research.
A report from the Leichtman Research Group released late last month showed that high-income consumers continue to spur HDTV market penetration.
The study, “HDTV Awareness, Interest and Intent to Purchase 2004,” found that the mean household income of HDTV owners was about $80,000 per year. That’s down $15,000 per year from the mean income of HDTV owners last year.
The study found that while 86 percent of adults had heard of HDTV, many still have limited knowledge of HDTV. The greatest misunderstandings are among consumers who do not have an HDTV set.
Of those who own HDTVS, a majority of consumers are not actually watching HDTV programming but think that they are. The study found that 65 percent of HDTV owners believe they are receiving HDTV programming from cable or satellite service providers, but an analysis showed that the true figure is about half of that total.
Other findings include:
- Eighty-six percent of adults nationwide have heard of HDTV – up from 73 percent last year
- Fourteen percent of those with annual household incomes above $75,000 have an HDTV, compared to 5 percent of households with annual incomes below $75,000
- The mean household income of those most likely to get an HDTV set in the next year is 30 percent above the average household income in the United States
- Fifteen percent of HDTV owners have more than one HDTV in their household, and 20 percent of HDTV owners plan to purchase another HDTV set in the next year
Leichtman Research Group surveyed 1300 U.S. households for the report.
For more information, visit www.leichtmanresearch.com/research.html#studies
