Most Media Technology Trending Up, According to Nielsen's Quarterly Home
Tech Study
NEW YORK, Dec. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Nielsen Media Research released
findings today from its 3rd Quarter Home Technology Report which show that
more U.S. households now own DVD players (81.2% of all households) than
VCRs (79.2% of households). Findings from this quarterly study also show
ownership of most media technology trending up from previous years, which
could continue to climb as the upcoming Christmas season approaches.
As of third quarter 2006, DVD penetration in the U.S. is up 6% from the
previous year and continues to grow, while VCR penetration has started a
decline. In 1999 when Nielsen first started tracking DVD ownership in its
Home Tech Report, DVD penetration was only 6.7% and was dwarfed by VCR
ownership at 88.6%.
Nielsen's latest report also found that DVD households now rent DVDs
about twice per month, compared to VCR homes renting VHS tapes only about
once per month. The frequency with which households rent video tapes has
leveled off during the past six months.
"This study shows the culmination of a long battle for share of
consumers," said Paul Lindstrom, senior vice president of custom research
for Nielsen Media Research. "Nielsen clients have used information from our
Home Tech Report for the past decade to trend the changes in penetration
and report use of new devices as they infiltrate the marketplace, and we
now see that the popularity of DVDs has finally surpassed that of VCRs."
Some additional topline findings from Nielsen's Home Tech study include:
* Computers -- 73.4% of U.S. homes currently have a computer in the
household, and homes with children and teens are more likely to have a
home computer. There is a large difference in the percentage of lower
income homes vs. higher income homes that own a home computer. Homes
with an income over $60K are 50% more likely to own a home computer than
homes with an income below $60K.
* Internet -- 95.4% of consumers with Internet access go online at least
once a week, and 37.3% of Internet users go online more than once a day.
78.2% of online users have made purchases over the Internet. 46.8% of
online users (ages 12+) have used the Internet to download and play
music from the Internet.
* MP3 Players -- 26.7% of U.S. homes own or rent an MP3 player.
Households with the presence of children 12-17 years of age are nearly
2-1/2 times more likely to own or rent an MP3 player than compared to
the Total U.S. The percentage of homes owning an MP3 player has risen by
149.5% since 3rd Quarter 2003.
* PDA -- 16.4% of U.S. homes own a PDA, and since 3rd quarter 2003, PDA
ownership has increased by 4.5%. Not surprisingly, higher income homes
are more than four times as likely as lower income homes to own a PDA.
For charts that illustrate the five-year penetration trends, please
see: http://everyonecounts.tv/documents/HTRchart2002-06.pdf .
Methodology
Nielsen's Home Technology Report is a primary research survey conducted
by phone with 1,253 randomly selected American homes four times per year.
Issued quarterly to Nielsen clients as a supplement to their syndicated TV
ratings service, for the past 10 years the Home Tech Report has been
Nielsen's gauge of the penetration and usage of technology into American
households.
About Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research is the leading provider of television audience
measurement and related services, worldwide. In the United States,
Nielsen's National People Meter service provides audience estimates for all
national program sources, including broadcast networks, cable networks,
Spanish language networks, and national syndicators. Local ratings
estimates are produced for television stations, regional cable networks,
MSOs, cable interconnects, and Spanish language stations in each of the 210
television markets in the U.S., including People Meter service in ten
markets and electronic set-metered service in 46 markets. For more
information, please visit http://www.NielsenMedia.com.
Nielsen Media Research is a unit of VNU, a global information and media
company with leading market positions and recognized brands in marketing
information (ACNielsen), media information (Nielsen Media Research),
business publications (Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Computing,
Intermediair) and trade shows. The privately held company is active in more
than 100 countries, with headquarters in Haarlem, the Netherlands, and New
York, USA. For more information, visit http://www.vnu.com.
Table 1: DVD vs. VCR Penetration in the U.S.
3Q 2Q 1Q 4Q 3Q 2Q 1Q
2006 2006 2006 2005 2005 2005 2005
% of Homes with DVDs 81.2% 80.9% 81.4% 80.8% 76.5% 77.6% 78.5%
% of Homes with VCRs 79.2% 82.3% 82.3% 82.9% 82.9% 80.9% 82.2%
Source: Nielsen Media Research's Home Technology Report
Table 2: Penetration of Media Devices in U.S. Homes
3Q 02 3Q 03 3Q 04 3Q 05 3Q 06 % Diff 05
vs 06
DVD 41.4% 59.8% 71.2% 76.5% 81.2% +6.1%
VCR 87.5% 86.7% 84.7% 82.9% 79.2% -4.5%
Wired Cable 65.9% 62.7% 65.2% 62.2% 63.5% +2.1%
Satellite 20.9% 22.3% 22.2% 26.0% 26.5% +1.9%
Internet Access 61.4% 63.9% 64.4% 68.1% 68.5% +.06%
PC 66.4% 69.5% 71.7% 74.0% 73.4% -.08%
Cell Phone 65.0% 67.1% 72.0% 73.8% 75.2% +1.9%
PDA 13.9% 15.7% 16.4% 16.3% 16.4% +.06%
MP3 Player 7.6% 10.7% 12.8% 16.9% 26.7% +58%
Source: Nielsen Media Research's Home Technology Report
SOURCE Nielsen Media Research
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Related links:
http://www.nielsenmedia.com/
CONTACT:
Karen Gyimesi, +1-646-654-8631, or Crystal
Hearn, +1-646-654-8932, both for Nielsen Media Research
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