TORONTO – When Canadians are made aware of what a personal video recorder can do for them – specifically the convenience and simplicity of watching their programs on their own schedule – interest in the product grows and the likelihood of purchasing the technology increases, according to new research released today by CTAM Canada.
In contrast, in the U.S. TiVo and other Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) have been around since 1997 so awareness and adoption of PVRs in Canada is much lower. The research indicates that just five percent of Canadians own a PVR compared to 15% in the U.S. Similarly, only 38% of Canadians are aware of the devices versus 65% of Americans.
Clearly there is some work to do here.
However, almost one quarter (23%) of Canadians who say that they are familiar with PVRs, but don’t currently have one, indicate that they intend to purchase one within the next six months.
The research suggests that the key to raising awareness and adoption of PVRs is education, specifically informing the consumer of what the PVR is and just how easy it is to use. The ability to “record and watch programs when it’s convenient” was the main reason selected by almost half of all Canadians with PVRs at home (46%). As such, the study reveals that any communications directed at consumers should reinforce the “convenience” message, says the press release.
"PVRs have emerged as a wonderful on-demand tool for consumers and their video," said Mike Lee, CTAM Canada vice-president and chief strategy officer at Rogers Communications, in the release. "They can pause, fast-forward and store for later their favourite shows with a push of a button, making their TV experience all the more enjoyable. The more knowledge we can spread around on these devices and their capabilities, the better it is for consumers."
The data for this study was obtained from a telephone survey conducted among 976 Canadians, aged 18+. Between July 13-18, 2006. The margin of error is ± 3.3, 19 times out of 20. Data has been weighted according to age, gender and region to reflect the population of Canadian adults. Weights have also been applied to bring Cable/Satellite subscription status (Analog Cable, Digital Cable, Satellite, no Cable or Satellite) in line with known incidence levels.
The U.S. data used for comparison purposes was obtained from a telephone study conducted among 1,014 Americans, aged 18+, between June 15-17, 2006. The margin of error is ±3.1, 19 times out of 20.
