Advanced Television

1 in 5 buy HDTV for Super Bowl

February 1, 2013

Nearly a quarter of high-definition television (HDTV) owners in the US (22 per cent) purchased their televisions for the specific purpose of watching the Super Bowl, according to the forthcoming Sports and Technology Study V by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). No other sporting event comes close to prompting that many purchases of HDTVs. Accordingly, more adults surveyed identify themselves as fans of American Football (79 per cent) than any other sport, including baseball (53 per cent), basketball (51 per cent), racing (28 per cent) and hockey (27 per cent).

Super Bowl fans will use both TVs and Internet-connected devices to follow the game. Of the 70 per cent of online US adults who plan to follow the game, 53 per cent plan to watch live in high-definition and 21 per cent plan to watch live in standard definition. Twelve per cent will watch clips or highlights broadcast on television, and eight per cent will record the game using a DVR to watch later. Ten per cent of online US adults plan to follow the Super Bowl via social media posts; eight per cent will follow news and statistics from the game online; seven per cent will watch clips or highlights online; and another seven per cent will watch live online.

“Sports events, namely the Super Bowl, continue to drive significant TV sales every year,” observed Kevin Tillmann, senior research analyst, CEA. “In fact, the impact of these sports events on consumer electronic sales is even higher when factoring in TV accessories and premium broadcast services. One quarter of online US adults that subscribe to cable, satellite or fibre-to-home television service currently pay extra to subscribe to a premium sports package.”

Additionally, three in ten (30 per cent) online US adults are interested in watching sports events, matches or games in 3D at home. According to CEA’s US Consumer Electronics Sales and Forecast 2008-2013, published in January 2013, sales of TV sets with 3D functionality are projected to increase 39 per cent to more than 5.7 million units in 2013. Internet-connected displays also will see strong growth this year, with unit sales reaching 12.3 million, up from 9.2 million in 2012. Furthermore, both unit sales and revenues for LCD displays are projected to increase in 2013. Innovations within the display category are helping drive overall industry growth, despite total unit sales of displays falling slightly in 2013, reports the CEA.

 

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