Over one million Canadian households now use on-demand television services either via cable video on demand (VOD) or a personal video recorder (PVR), according to a recent study by Toronto-based market research firm Solutions Research Group.
Some other key findings of the study:
* More than one-third (36%) of digital cable households, approximately 7% of all Canadian households, have used VOD. Half of these users paid for content while the other half used only ‘free’ programs or services (for example, Treehouse TV On Demand and TMNOD).
* Close to one in 10 digital households (DTH or digital cable) have a PVR (just under 4% of all Canadian households).
* VOD and PVR users express higher-than-average levels of satisfaction with their TV service provider. Fifty-eight percent of VOD users say it increased their enjoyment of television and 63% of PVR users say the same thing.
* Amongst younger Canadians, the study found that ‘homemade TV on-demand’ using broadband and P2P file-sharing sites is also beginning to grow in popularity.
* 13% of Canadians aged 12 to 29 report downloading a 30- or 60-minute TV show from the Internet at some point in the past.
This study was conducted as part of Fast Forward, Solutions Research Group’s ongoing syndicated consumer trend research program. Telephone interviews were conducted with 1,776 Canadians aged 12 and older in May and June 2005.
