Leichtman Research Group: Almost 30M HD Households

LEICHTMAN RESEARCH GROUP: ALMOST 30M HD HOUSEHOLDS
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Glen Dickson]
There are close to 30 million U.S. households today with a display capable of showing HDTV, according to industry analyst Bruce Leichtman of Leichtman Research Group. Leichtman’s figures are lower than estimates from the Consumer Electronics Association, which said that HD household penetration stood at 32% in July, or some 36 million homes. But it’s much higher than estimates from measurement giant Nielsen, which said only 21% of U.S. households, or some 23.6 million, have HD displays. Leitchman’s HD study, his fifth annual report on the subject, found that consumers were still confused over HDTV. While more than 75% of HDTV owners said they were watching HD programming, he estimated that only 53% (perhaps 15.9 million homes) of HD households are getting HD from a cable, satellite or telco operator. That number is in line with estimates from major cable programmers, which said set-top data indicate that around 15 million homes get HD from multichannel operators. Only 41% of HDTV owners said they were told how to receive HD programming when they purchased the set. About 40% of HDTV owners believe they have an HD DVD player, which is much higher than actual sales figures for Blu-ray and HD-DVD players.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6498433.html?rssid=193

* Leichtman: Consumers Remain Confused About HDTV
About one-quarter of U.S. households have at least one TV set capable of receiving high-definition TV signals, essentially double the penetration of HDTV two years ago, yet consumer confusion related to HD programming and products remains strong. While over three-quarters of HD set owners believe that they are watching enhanced format programming, Leichtman estimates that about 53% of those households are actually watching HD programming from a multi-channel video provider (cable, DBS or a telco). Another 4% are watching HD programming via broadcast-only. That leaves about 20% of those with HD sets erroneously thinking that they are watching HD programming when they are not.
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6498324.html?rssid=196

* Large Number of HD Owners Not Watching HD
http://www.tvpredictions.com/study110707.htm