SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – The number of homes watching high definition television programming continues to rise rapidly, but the number of countries HD can be found is relatively few, says a new report.
Research firm In-Stat says that households with HDTV service are projected to grow from 15 million in mid-2006 to 20.3 million at the end of 2006, world-wide. "This impressive household growth is tempered by the fact that it is occurring in just a few countries," says the release, even though several new countries introduced HDTV service this year.
"Consumer demand to see the World Cup in HD served as a catalyst for the start of HDTV services in several European countries," said Mike Paxton, In-Stat analyst. "In addition, select TV households in countries like China, Singapore, and Mexico can now also get HDTV service."
The research also found:
* As of mid-2006, the U.S. and Japan accounted for 91% of all worldwide HDTV households. Other countries with significant numbers of HDTV households include Canada, Australia, and South Korea.
* The number of worldwide HDTV households is expected to spike over the next few years as new markets for HD services, particularly in Europe, open up. By the end of 2009, In-Stat is projecting that the number of HDTV households will exceed 55 million.
* HDTV services are currently being delivered by all types of television service providers, including satellite/Direct-to-Home service providers, cable TV operators, telco TV operators, and terrestrial broadcasters.
* In the US, there is still a "disconnect" between HD services and the penetration of HDTV sets. Currently, only one-third of US households with HD-capable TV sets are actually using them to watch HD programming.
