HD TV Households Skew Upscale, Educated, Younger

admin — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 15:35:06 +0000

In the U.S., high definition TV penetration has climbed steadily in the last year. In December 2007, 13.5% of U.S. households HD TV sets — by this November that percentage had grown to 23.3%.

Who are these HD TV adopters? According to a new study released Monday by Nielsen PreView, these HD equipped homes tend to be upscale, college educated, and have younger heads of household. Sixty percent of HD homes also own DVR machines — compared to 24% of all homes in Nielsen’s National People Meter sample. Nielsen Preview also reports that all HD homes are Cable Plus (including satellite), and the majority of HD homes have Wired Digital Cable.

Among HD household members, men — particularly 18-49 year olds — account for slightly more of the HD audience. In contrast, female HD viewing was similar to national TV viewing averages, but among older demos –- Females 65+ — HD TV viewing is 26% lower than the national TV viewing averages for that age group.

Sports commentary programs and political shows were the top genres viewed on HD television. Sports commentary shows performed 31% better (in terms of ratings) in HD homes, compared to national TV viewing averages.

View Nielsen PreView’s study.

In U.S., Hi-Def TV Household Penetration Tops 23%

admin — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 14:06:20 +0000

Almost one-quarter of all U.S. television households (23.3%) own a high definition TV set as of Nov. 30, Nielsen reported Thursday.

Nielsen’s estimates are based on a field staff review that identified TV sets capable of receiving and displaying high definition pictures, as well as those that are actually receiving those signals.

High definition TV penetration in the U.S. has more than doubled since July 2007, when Nielsen began tracking HDTV status. At that time, only 10% of U.S. homes had access to high definition TV.

Month/Year	% of U.S. Households With HDTV
November 2008	23.3%
October 2008	22.2%
September 2008	21.3%
August 2008	20.4%
July 2008	19.6%
June 2008	18.9%
May 2008	18.1%
April 2008	17.1%
March 2008	16.2%
February 2008	15.3%
January 2008	14.5%
December 2007	13.5%
November 2007	12.8%
October 2007	12.1%
September 2007	11.3%
August 2007	10.5%
July 2007	10.0%
Source: The Nielsen Company (July 1, 2007 – November 30, 2008).

Washington, D.C., where 31.1% of homes are HDTV-enabled, has the highest HDTV penetration of Nielsen’s 18 largest local TV markets. Boston and New York follow, with HDTV penetrations of 30.5% and 30.2%, respectively. Detroit has the lowest HDTV penetration: 20.9% of homes.

Top 18 Nielsen Local TV Markets	% Households In Market With HDTV (November 2008)
Washington, DC (Hagerstown)	31.1%
Boston (Manchester)	30.5%
New York	30.2%
Seattle-Tacoma	29.8%
Philadelphia	29.1%
Los Angeles	28.9%
Chicago	27.0%
Phoenix	26.9%
San Francisco-Oak-San Jose	26.8%
Tampa-St. Pete (Sarasota)	26.7%
Denver	26.4%
Atlanta	25.7%
Dallas-Ft. Worth	25.0%
Houston	23.7%
Cleveland – Akron	23.6%
Minneapolis – St. Paul	21.6%
Miami-Ft. Lauderdale	21.4%
Detroit	20.9%
Total U.S.	23.3%
Source: The Nielsen Company (November 30, 2008).

Sporting events have the highest index of viewing in HDTV households, with HDTV receivable and capable homes watching 54% more sports than households that are not HDTV capable. Political programming and awards shows are also popular with HDTV households.

View the full press release.

Read coverage of Nielsen’s findings on Contentinople.com and in Broadcasting & Cable, Multichannel News, and Media Post,

Nielsen Wire » penetration

HD TV Households Skew Upscale, Educated, Younger

In U.S., Hi-Def TV Household Penetration Tops 23%