TORONTO – The high definition television subscribers of Bell TV say they love their nature and sports channels, according to a new Angus Reid survey done for independent broadcaster High Fidelity HDTV.
Leading the way is Oasis HD, a nature and natural history channel owned and run by Toronto-based High Fidelity HDTV Inc. According to the survey, Oasis HD is the high definition television channel most-often talked about or recommended to others.
Among the 505 Bell TV subscribers surveyed – who had at least one HiFi channel – Oasis HD ranked ahead of Bell’s other HD offerings (see chart).
"We have known that Oasis HD is popular among subscribers to our channels," said High Fidelity partner and co-founder Ken Murphy in a press release. "But to be the most recommended or talked about is remarkable considering the channel has only been on the air for a little more than three years. It usually takes a lot longer to build that kind of recognition."
Oasis is one of four channels HiFi HDTV offers. The others are Rush HD, Treasure HD and Equator HD and all but Rush rated in the top-ten most-recommended in the survey.
Oasis also emerged as the fifth most-valued channel when subscribers were asked which HD services their household valued the most. “In terms of factual channels, we are right behind Discovery, National Geographic and TSN, and ahead of many others much more established than Oasis HD," added John Panikkar, partner and co-founder of High Fidelity. "That is a huge milestone for us, especially when you consider we are on Bell TV, Rogers, EastLink and several smaller systems, but not yet on Shaw, Cogeco or Videotron.”
Angus Reid Strategies conducted the online survey of 1,504 English-speaking Canadians aged 18 and older for HiFi between September 20 to October 7.
“The results reinforce what retailers have been telling us about how effective our channels are at creating excitement about HDTV in their stores,” said Murphy. “Our channels help to widen the net by bringing the non-sports fans into the decision process.” Only 38% of the English-Canadians surveyed (40% of men and 36% of women) indicate they are solely responsible for making TV service decisions.
Among the other highlights from the study:
– Nearly half (47%) of all English-Canadians subscribing to HD say that HD has made a “big difference” to their TV viewing experience.
– Nearly one-third (31%) of all English-Canadians with HD service say they go to HD channels before checking what else is available when they turn on the TV.
– Another 29% say they go to their regular shows or channels, then check whether they are available in HD.
To qualify for the survey, respondents had to indicate they had at least some input into TV service decisions in the household. Prior studies conducted by Angus Reid Strategies indicate that this represents 98% of the adult English Canadian population. The total sample includes a subsample of 505 Bell TV subscribers who confirmed subscribing to at least one of the four High Fidelity HDTV services.
The margin of error – which measures sampling variability – on a sample of 1,504 is typically measured at +/- 2.5%, 19 times out of 20. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region Census data and the distribution of TV service subscriptions to ensure a sample that is representative of the entire adult population of English-speaking Canada.
