The numbers of U.S. households with digital-video recorders and access to video-on-demand have both doubled in the past year, according to a report released Thursday by Leichtman Research Group Inc.
About 8% of U.S. households have DVRs, while 23% of cable subscribers said they have accessed VOD content from local operators, LRG said.
LRG also reported that 88% of DVR users said they usually skip commercials. But analyst Bruce Leichtman said DVRs “do not appear to be exclusively responsible for ad skipping,” noting that 56% of DVR owners also said they often changed channels when commercials came on or avoided watching commercials prior to getting their DVRs.
“On-demand TV is clearly becoming more widely adopted, and consumers are generally very pleased with these services,” Leichtman wrote. “Yet despite the more widespread adoption of DVRs and VOD, we should not assume that these services are yet turning the advertising model upside down.”
In its survey of 1,350 households, LRG found that 88% of adults nationwide have heard of DVRs, up from 74% last year. In addition, 61% of cable subscribers said their local operator offers VOD, up from 40% last year.
LRG also said 33% of direct-broadcast satellite subscribers in cable areas believe satellite-TV companies currently offer VOD.
