3 in 10 households now have a DVR

Aaron62 · 08-12-2009, 09:48 AM

According to statistics by Nielsen, 3 in 10 US housholds "own" a DVR though live TV continues to be the favorite way to watch TV.

Now, my question is, since the majority of Americans do not own a DVR, I would think that live TV would of course be the favorite way to watch TV, right?

bicker · 08-12-2009, 10:15 AM

That number is at least three months old so probably not really accurate anymore:

Quote:

As of March 2009, 30.6 percent of households in Nielsen’s National People Meter Panel have a DVR, up significantly from just 12.3 percent in January 2007.

Nielsen

I've seen projections putting the number over 50 percent by 2012.

Regardless, I don't think something can be considered "favorite" if there are no other choices.

If you're going to factor in VCRs, then you need to factor in how many homes have them, and that's a lot higher. So "favorite" is still an elusive metric.

I think what you can find evidence for is that, when people have a choice, they tend to choose the more advanced choice, that packs more enjoyment into the smallest amount of time.

O-O · 08-12-2009, 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aaron62

Now, my question is, since the majority of Americans do not own a DVR, I would think that live TV would of course be the favorite way to watch TV, right?

Quote:

Originally Posted by bicker

Regardless, I don't think something can be considered "favorite" if there are no other choices.

If you're going to factor in VCRs, then you need to factor in how many homes have them, and that's a lot higher. So "favorite" is still an elusive metric.

Makes sense to me. It's a funny choice of wording from Nielsen,

Quote:

Despite 3 in 10 households owning a DVR, live TV continues to be the favorite way to watch TV.