New findings from Decima Research’s The Digital Domain show that digital television penetration has passed the halfway mark in Canada. Some 54% of all households now pay for a satellite or cable television service – an increase of nearly 40% since 2004. The study results suggest that this momentum will continue through 2007, with digital TV subscription expected to reach 57% by some time this fall.

Study respondents indicated that the features that have spurred the adoption of digital TV include: better picture and sound quality, and the availability of ‘pick and pay’ packages and channels. Awareness of pay-per-view services is almost universal at 91%, and more than one in four (28%) of digital TV subscribers ordered movies or events in the prior three months. Awareness of high-definition television (HDTV) among digital TV subscribers has also continued to increase and now stands at 83%, up from 73% in 2005. PVR/DVR technology is also rapidly becoming more familiar, with awareness of these options rising from approximately 45% to 61% over the past 18 months.

Other events that will shape the market in the months to come, according to Decima, will be the entry of Bell into the IPTV market as well as the rapidly developing debate about the amount and nature of government regulation and Canadian versus foreign ownership in the telecommunications sector.

The full report is available at www.decima.com.