Tech-Savvy Consumers Looking to IPTV

By Geoff Duncan March 13, 2006

One must always question the source of market projections like this, but a new survey, U.S. Consumer Attitudes toward Interactive IPTV Applications, conducted by In-Stat (and sponsored by Siemens) finds that 18 percent of early adapters who now subscribe to cable or satellite television services say they would “probably” or “definitely” switch to IP-based television services offered by their local telephone provider (emphasis mine). An additional 34 percent of the uncommitted early adopter market would switch to IPTV services from their phone provider if IPTV service were just 10 percent less expensive than their cable or satellite package.

The survey was conducted in December 2005 via a panel of more than 15,000 adult U.S. customers deemed likely to be “early adopters” of new consumer electronics technologies. Compared to average American households, panelists were more likely to have a high income, be more technologically-savvy, and have completed a higher level of education.

The report also found that survey respondents were most interested in IPTV services to take advantage of time-shifted television viewing, caller ID on TV, and interactive information services (such as sports statistics, cast listings, news, and information). More than half the respondents expressed interest in call logging capabilities and remote programming of home televisions from mobile phones and other devices. Only 37 percent of respondents (all adults) said they were interested in gaming via a television set, and some 25 percent of respondents were willing to pay extra for video surveillance and video telephony features, although no telco or cable provider stood out among respondents as the best able to provide add-on services.

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