Pike & Fischer Predicts Steady Growth in Subscription HDTV Services

6:15 am on March 31, 2008 | Category: Business, Television

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More than 47 million U.S. households will pay for some form of high-definition television service by the end of this year, up from around 30 million in late 2007, according to a recent forecast by Pike & Fischer.

The forecast constitutes one part of Pike & Fischer’s “HDTV Service: Market Forecast for Multichannel Video Providers” report, and also projects that by the end of 2012, as many as 103 million American households will be paying HDTV customers.

Although big broadcast networks are now airing some HD programming for free, multichannel video providers are aggressively launching premium HDTV channels, renting out HD-enabled equipment to customers, and offering pay-per-view Video On Demand content in high-def format.

Strong demand for such services will generate up to $2.6 billion in annual revenue for cable, satellite, and fiber-optic television providers by the end of 2012, according to the Pike & Fischer forecast.

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    1. To viewers already receiving a cable or satellite network, the benefits of Off-Air antennas are compelling. There is only so much room on cable or satellite bandwidth in which to squeeze signal, so data is compressed to fit, resulting in a somewhat “soft” picture. An OTA signal is the gold standard in digital reception because it’s almost completely uncompressed and also FREE. Local digital TV broadcasts are everywhere. But bandwidth limitations force cable and satellite providers to not carry all local channels in many areas, or may not offer all of them in high definition. Contract disagreements between local cable operators and local broadcasters mean that major networks may not be available in several areas. DISH Network® offers local HD coverage to about 47 percent of U.S. markets, while DIRECTV® reaches about 76 percent, but for an additional monthly fee.

      What about those other millions of viewers who want to see their favorite local shows and in HD. The answer is to add an OTA antenna to other signal reception sources. This not only gives a viewer the ability to receive all their local stations, but, with the right digital antenna and location, some viewers may even be able to receive out-of-town channels, carrying blacked out sports programs or network broadcasts not available in their home town. As an added benefit, an OTA antenna provides back-up reception options for local cable or satellite signal loss due to equipment failure or rain, snow and ice fade and to smaller TVs and second sets in homes not wired for whole-house signal distribution.

      Comment by antennaguy — March 31, 2008 #

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