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Analyst: More HDTV owners getting a steady diet of high definition for every day viewing

by Richard Lawler posted Nov 2nd 2009 at 2:43PM

Last seen belatedly dubbing HDTV "game changing" for 2008, analytical firm Knowledge Networks is back with its latest breaking observation, finding owners are 65% more likely now than they were two years ago to say they are watching HD programming daily. Up from 26% in an '07 survey to 43%, we sadly noted that amount of people that always check for the high definition feed instead of SD rose only slightly from 61% to 68% among the 510 surveyed. Seeing fair and balanced numbers on the appeal of stretch-o-vision (we already know how you feel about it) would have been nice, but check the press release to see the stats networks and advertisers are probably checking before deciding to spring for HD specifically broken down across genre and gender.

Poll: Due to HD, have you tuned into the Olympics more?

by Darren Murph posted Aug 16th 2008 at 12:00PM


One masochist notwithstanding, we're pretty sure you haven't sat down for days straight to watch the Summer Games from Beijing, but we're wondering if the superabundance of high-def Olympics programming has changed your perspective on the entire spectacle. Here at Engadget HQ, we've found ourselves captivated by more Olympics footage in the first week than we can ever remember in Games' past, and there's no question that having the events in high-definition caused us to keep flipping back. Is the same phenomenon happening at your house? Are you inexplicably anxious to come home and check out some of the world's greatest athletes in beautiful high-def? Tell us how the HD onslaught has affected your Olympics viewing (if at all).

[Image courtesy of Yahoo! Sports]

Due to HD, have you tuned into the Olympics more?

Olympics viewership through the roof, HDTV / internet to thank?

by Darren Murph posted Aug 12th 2008 at 10:26AM


With Michael Phelps spending a great deal of time in front of the cameras between 8:00PM and midnight ET each night, it's hardly a shock to hear that USers are tuning into the Olympics like its 1976. According to preliminary numbers, NBC Universal is reporting that an average of 29.1 million viewers are flipping on the Olympics, which is the "most highly rated broadcast of the Summer Games held outside the United States since 1976." When seeing figures like this, the obvious question emerges: why? Contrary to the beliefs of Big Media, the internet is actually somewhat to thank. Many believed that internet broadcasting would whittle down TV ratings, when in fact, it seems that quite the opposite has happened. Interestingly, it appears that all the high-def footage really isn't getting the credit it deserves. Be honest -- would you have stayed up until 1:00AM watching men's gymnastics had it not been in HD?

Read - Olympics ratings
Read - The internet influence

Online TV viewing catching on, traditional TV watching still preferred

by Darren Murph posted Jul 4th 2008 at 9:18AM


We've known that individuals were turning to the internet to catch their favorite shows for some time now, but we aren't living in the future just yet. According to new research conducted by Nielsen and CTAM, most adults (94%) who "subscribe to cable or satellite television services prefer to watch television on traditional TV sets." Still, over a third of those surveyed who had a broadband connection admitted to watching at least one television program originally shown on TV via the internet, and nearly 40% of online TV viewers also use the world wide web to "get the scoop on actors and upcoming episodes." For numbers galore on this very topic, head on down to the read link and have a look.

[Image courtesy of BebeReviews]

ESPN ratings 43% higher in HD homes than SD abodes in April

by Darren Murph posted May 21st 2008 at 12:50AM


Life's good in Bristol -- at least it sure looks that way based on reports stemming from The Cable Show in New Orleans and the latest Nielsen data. For starters, primetime viewership on ESPN grew 15%, while total day ratings ratcheted up 13%. According to Sean Bratches, executive vice president of sales and marketing for the outfit, ESPN's ratings were 43% higher in high-definition homes versus standard-definition homes, reiterating that sports and movies are the two biggest draws of owning an HDTV. Needless to say, the news simply means that the network can demand even more for precious ad time, but we won't even pretend you didn't see that coming.

Poll: Do you still watch SD programming?

by Darren Murph posted May 17th 2008 at 12:00PM


With just south of a hundred HD channels on carriers like DirecTV, and even dozens on the average cable operator, one may wonder if there's even a reason for turning to an SD station anymore. Here at the Engadget HD lair, there's only a few programs still shot and delivered in standard-def that we catch ourselves watching, but we'll admit, it's been an awful long time since SD programming consumed more than 10-percent or so of our viewing. Not too tough a question for you this week: do you still find yourself flipping to SD networks with the growing amount of HD content out there? If so, how much? And be honest -- is it solely due to your wife's obsession with America's Next Top Model?

[Image courtesy of Rickey]

Do you still watch SD programming?

Shocker: HD capable homes tune into more high-def programming

by Darren Murph posted Feb 26th 2008 at 1:09AM


Not that this is a surprise or anything -- after all, it's pretty safe to assume that homes with HD became that way due to an urge to watch more HD programming -- but some recent ratings numbers from Nielsen help substantiate the notion that high-def capable domiciles are more likely to flip on the set. For instance, this year's Super Bowl managed a 43.3 rating overall, yet racked up a 47.6 rating in homes with HDTVs. Additionally, broadcast TV stations had an 8.9 rating in HD homes in December of 2007, while non-HD households rung up just a 6.8 rating. Still, not all of the news was rosy. At the close of last year, about a quarter of US homes had an HD set, while just 13.6-percent of those were classified as "HD capable and receivable." SD content stretched across an HD panel? Oh, the humanity.

[Via MultichannelNews]

Survey confirms that Canada loves its Discovery HD

by Darren Murph posted Feb 9th 2008 at 11:47PM

Yeah, we Americans were already quite envious of the Discovery HD lineup in Canada, but the Canucks are affirming said awesomeness in a newfangled survey polling viewers on which channels offered up the "best high-definition programming." Coming in only behind the nation's favorite TSN (a sports network, if you couldn't guess), Discovery HD was ranked as the best non-sports station for HD quality in the country. Furthermore, respondents aged 18 to 34 actually ranked Discovery HD above all other channels. We're envious, sure -- but we still love ya.




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