TORONTO – Adoption rates in Canada for personal video recorders (PVRs – or DVRs, as they’re known Stateside) are still modest and many Canadians aren’t sure they’ll ever get one, says new research from CTAM Canada.
The organization’s most recent “In Touch” research shows a modest level of PVR adoption in Canada (11%) and attributes this low rate (as compared to the States, where some markets approach 40% penetration) to a lack of consumer familiarity north of the border.
“One key finding showed that… (22%) of Canadian, non-PVR owners say they are likely to acquire one in the future. The same research indicated that a significant percentage of Canadians (42%) are unsure if they will obtain a PVR at all,” reads the CTAM Canada release.
In addition, alternatives to traditional television viewing such as online streaming and downloading are beginning to take hold in Canada, with the 18-34 male demographic being the driving force behind these emerging viewing habits.
“On the bright side, the research shows that 92% of customers with PVRs find that it improves their television viewing experience” said John Piercy, president of CTAM Canada and president of Mountain Cablevision. “It basically means that we as cable operators need to focus on marketing the value of PVRs, especially their ability to allow a user to view content in a ‘what I want, when I want it’ manner”.
“While online streaming and downloading of television content is taking hold in Canada, computers are still clearly considered the “second screen” when it comes to television viewing”, Piercy added. “The research reported that the use of other devices, such as iPods for viewing television content was significantly lower than use of computers and they are considered the ‘third screen’ for viewing at this point in time.”
CTAM Canada’s research also examined the intentions of Canadian, non-PVR owners to acquire a PVR in six months or 12 months, as well as the impact that PVRs have had on the viewing experience for Canadians.
The data for this research was obtained from an online survey conducted among 2,004 Canadians aged 18+ between June 4-11, 2008 and the data was weighted according to age, gender, and region.
