According to new research by the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing (CTAM), digital cable penetration has surpassed that of satellite television service for the last three years.
As of June 5, digital cable penetration was 34 percent and satellite 27 percent, with cable penetration increasing from 29 percent in 2007 and from 26 percent in 2006, while satellite penetration was 25 percent in 2007 and 24 percent in 2006. Market penetration of video services from the telephone company was 2 percent in 2008. Overall, cable is maintaining 65 percent of the market, according to CTAM’s research.
“Clearly, cable remains very strong, even in an environment of fierce competition,” said CTAM President and CEO Char Beales.
The Pulse research, “Tracking Entertainment and Technology: The New Communications Landscape,” looks at consumer interest in home entertainment and telecommunications, products and services.
Additional findings show that the demand for cable high-definition (HD) programming is showing significant growth. In 2006, 12 percent of cable customers subscribed to HD service, while that number grew to 29 percent in 2008. The penetration of HD service in digital cable households (47 percent) is nearly twice that of satellite households, which were at 25 percent.
Overall, 35 percent of those surveyed own an HD TV set, compared with 23 percent in 2007. Fifty-five percent of digital cable homes have an HD set, compared with 37 percent of satellite homes.
The survey also measured consumer adoption of Blu-ray technology, revealing that 14 percent of digital cable and 6 percent of satellite homes own a Blu-ray DVD player.
This research was based on a telephone survey conducted by Centris as part of an Omnibus survey conducted from May 23 through June 5, 2008.
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