Hi Billy,
I'll try to find those reports for you on time-shifting #'s for VCRs. I have seen the figures in various Mass Media textbooks and from some Nielsen reports. I do have a copy of a Nielsen report on VCR usage habits in Canada (below) which shows about a 50-50 split on using a VCR for recording versus movie rental, but in the US the figures are a bit higher for recording/time-shifting.
Don't disagree on the success on CD's (I would never argue that CD's have not become the standard for audio playback), or the success to date of DVD's. Just saying that a recordable DVD device will help this format take off in a big way.
News Release
Canadians Home Entertainment Enthusiasts
ACNielsen Home PC and Entertainment Study
Identifies Key Habits
Markham, Ont., March 11, 1998 -- It seems Canadians just can't get enough TV. That's one of the
conclusions drawn from the recent ACNielsen fourth annual Home PC and Entertainment Study, which
identified that more than one-third of Canadian households currently own at least three TVs.
ACNielsen's Home PC and Entertainment Study is a comprehensive consumer research study of what PC
and entertainment technology Canadians have in their homes, and also provides insight into emerging
trends in the area.
For instance, what are we using to get our TV reception? Cable television wins hands-down with a 75
percent penetration, followed by antenna at 20 percent and then satellite (just over 5 percent).
"Only a small percentage of households (6 percent) watch Pay per View programming," says Jim Ransom,
Vice-President, Custom Services and Development at ACNielsen. "But, if the head of the household is
under 25 years of age, the tendency to watch such programs more than doubles. This group tends to watch
Pay per View programs once a month with a preference for Action/Adventure programs."
Although 96 percent of Canadian households own at least one VCR, primary usage is split with
approximately half indicating it's to record programs with the other half watching pre-recorded videos as
the primary use.
The majority of households record less than four hours of television a week, but seven percent record more
than 13 hours per week and 18 percent don't record any programs. Half the respondents record the same
type of programs every week with Primetime dramas recorded the most often.
More than 70 percent of households rent at least one pre-recorded video each month. Action/Adventure and
Comedies are by far the most popular choices.
"One surprising finding is the low number of people who rent Animated videos, considering it is the most
highly owned of the pre-recorded video category," says ACNielsen's Ransom. "This presents a marketing
challenge as neither high rental preference or high ownership tendency appear to guarantee success in
penetrating households through the opposite (home or retail) market.
Eighty-three percent of Canadian households own at least one pre-recorded video and it seems the more, the
merrier. Just over 40 percent of households who own at least one pre-recorded video currently own more
than 20!
Digital Video Disks have been introduced as the latest in home technology theater. However, presently DVD
technology can be found in just under four percent of Canadian households. British Columbia has the
lowest penetration (less than one percent) while Quebec has the highest (11 percent). It also appears that
Canadians are not adapting quickly to this technology -- only about two percent of households are
planning on purchasing a DVD player in the next 12 months.
About one third of Canadian households currently own a home video game system with higher ownership
in households where the head of household is under 50 years. Of the systems currently owned, Nintendo
has the top two systems -- Super Nintendo and Nintendo (basic). The Sega Genesis system is the only other
system with more than 10 percent market ownership.
ACNielsen Canada is based in Markham, Ontario and employs over 800 people across the country with
regional offices in Vancouver and Montreal. ACNielsen Corporation, offering services in over 90 countries,
and with 1997 revenues of $1.4 billion, is the global leader in delivering market research information and
analysis to the consumer products and services industries.
Contact:
Patrick Dodd
905-475-3344
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