Despite limited availability in the United States, more than half (56%) of all U.S. adults say they have heard of IPTV and substantial numbers indicate interest in adopting it for use on their TVs and home PCs, according to a recent survey by Harris Interactive. The survey also shows how the adoption of IPTV may impact cable and satellite providers and the types of providers that may be able to capitalize on this new technology.
These are some of the results of The 2005 Technology Report: Hot Issues Facing the Industry, a study conducted quarterly by Harris Interactive. The most recent study was conducted online from December 2 to 8, 2005 among 1,039 U.S. adults.
One-quarter (26%) of adults say they are quite interested in adopting IPTV for use on their TVs, and 19 percent express a lot of interest in adopting IPTV for use on their computers. Fewer adults (4%) say they would be quite interested in adopting this technology for use on their cell phones.
Twelve percent of adults say they would sign up and try IPTV immediately if it were only available for their PC, and 57 percent say they would wait and see how others like it. Almost one in five (18%) say they would try IPTV immediately if it were available for their PC and could be sent to TV's in their house using a set-top box, and 59 percent said they would wait and see how others like it. Minorities say they would ignore IPTV for their home PC (31%) or their TV (23%) as they are happy with their current service.
Types of providers adults say they would feel most comfortable with delivering IPTV service include:
- A cable company like CableVision or Comcast (33%)
- A new company that has no baggage (25%)
- A technology company like Cisco or Microsoft (15%)
- A telephone provider like Verizon or SBC (13%)
- An Internet provider like AOL or Earthlink (11%)
- A content provider like Disney or CNN (4%)
Milt Ellis, vice president and senior consultant for the Technology Research Practice at Harris Interactive comments: "It's no surprise to find that consumers want to save money on their cable or satellite bill, but the survey results also show that many consumers are quite interested in having access to a broad range of content to watch, at a time they determine. When consumers are able to watch their favorite shows at a time of their own choosing, "prime time" may need redefining, network program schedules may have little meaning, and TV ad rates will have to be recalculated. If and when IPTV becomes a mainstream reality, it could be the best of times for consumers and IPTV providers and challenging times for the networks, as well as cable and satellite providers."http://www.harrisinteractive.com
