Digital Customers Watch More TV – Use Interactive Program Guide.

Digital cable and Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) customers say that they are watching three to four more hours of TV per week than analog cable TV customers, according to new CTAM research.

The CTAM (Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing) study, Impact of Digital Features on Household TV/PC Viewing Decisions, finds almost half of digital customers are watching more TV since subscribing to their digital service.

The study indicates digital video services and the PC have changed consumer television viewing behavior and purchase patterns.

Of premium channel customers, 58% of digital cable customers subscribe to three or more premium channels, versus 32% of DBS customers and 15% of analog cable customers. Moreover, 89% of digital cable and 82% of DBS customers are frequent viewers of premium channel movies, having watched at least one in the past 30 days.

Digital cable and DBS customers are more likely to be frequent purchasers of pay per view movies (39% and 35% purchase once a month or more often) compared to 5% of analog cable customers. In contrast, analog customers rent videos more often (69% rent at least once a month), while 57% of digital cable customers and 39% of DBS customers rent a videotape or DVD frequently.

More than 70% of digital cable and DBS customers agree there is a good selection of movies on their respective TV services, while half of analog cable customers agree with this statement.

On average, home Internet users report watching between two and four fewer hours of TV per week than non-users (regardless of the type of TV service). In addition to their TV viewing time, home Internet users report spending between nine and ten hours online during a typical week.

Digital customers self-report changes in how they get program information since subscribing to digital services. According to the CTAM research:

When asked to choose the one source used most often, 59% of digital cable and 52% of DBS customers use the Interactive Program Guide (IPG) more frequently than any other source.

Net usage of traditional printed TV program guides declined by 38% across digital customers and 27% across DBS customers.

Analog customers still channel surf as the most frequently used program information source (41%), use a variety of printed TV program guides (32%) and use the scrolling cable channel (16%).

The IPG features most frequently used by digital cable and DBS customers are the information button (80% and 69%), searches by channel (44% and 46%) and searches by premium channel (43% and 43%).

For more information at http://ctam.com.