OTTAWA – Canadians’ interest in 3D TV is minimal, however, their interest in high definition television is at an all-time high, according to the latest TV Quality Survey.
The survey, done annually by Ottawa-based Canadian Media Research Inc., was conducted in November-December 2010, among a sample of of some 1,483 Canadians aged 18-plus.
Some 35% of respondents indicated that they already owned an HDTV set, and the size of the group who said they are not at all likely to purchase an HD set shrank to just 28%, its lowest since the survey began tracking. By comparison, consumer interest in 3D TV sets was described as “extremely modest”. Using a price point of $2000, the survey found that over 95% of respondents said that it was ‘unlikely’ or ‘very unlikely’ that they would purchase a 3D TV set in the coming year.
Other top-line data from the survey includes:
– The average person can receive some 180 channels on their main TV set, which is 7 years old. The second TV set is about two years older and can receive 145 channels on average;
– The number of hours spent using the Internet was about 11 hours per week, while people reported watching TV for about 19 hours per week and about 11 hours listening to the radio weekly;
– While some 75% said they owned a cell phone in 2010, only about 20% owned a smart phone and iPod/MP3 ownership is still in the minority. Two in five said they text with their mobile device, a substantial increase over previous years, but less than one in five said they send photos and less than 10% said they download music or video;
– Less than one in five said they stream TV shows to their computer or surf the net with their phone;
– About 15% said they regularly order pay-per-view or other programming offered on cable TV/DTH, however, two-thirds of people say they never order pay-per-view;
– Only about 1 in 3 Canadians would be willing to pay $10 more per month rather than lose access to U.S. network channels such as ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox. Only 33% agree or strongly agree that they would pay the $10 fee, which was similar to last year’s results;
– Generally, Canadians report that they are quite satisfied with TV, and less than 4% said they were very dissatisfied with the medium in 2010;
– A special analysis of long term trends shows that support for and viewer satisfaction with CBC TV has declined over the past decade.
The TV Trends and Quality (TVQ) Survey is a national survey of Canadians’ attitudes toward television conducted by Canadian Media Research Inc. For more information, contact Barry Kiefl, president of Canadian Media Research Inc, at bkiefl@sympatico.ca
