Los Angeles, Calif., Oct. 7, 2008 — PriceGrabber.com®, a part of Experian, explores HDTV purchasing trends and fall TV trends in its latest Consumer Behavior Report. Results are based on a survey of 1,915 online consumers conducted from Sept. 8–22, 2008. The report also includes comparisons with results from a similar survey of 2,186 online consumers conducted in August 2006.
LCD drives HDTV market
The popularity of HDTVs has grown significantly over the past two years. Fifty-seven percent of consumers own an HDTV, compared with only 30 percent in August 2006. Today, LCD TV is the preferred HDTV, with 57 percent owning one. Nearly 75 percent of online shoppers who do not currently own an HDTV indicate they plan to purchase an HDTV within the next 12 months.
HDTV picture quality versus price
The average price for LCD and plasma HDTVs has dropped 13 percent, and the average price for projection (DLP, LCoS) HDTVs has fallen 27 percent over the last two years. However, 50 percent of HDTV owners indicate that their primary motivation for purchasing an HDTV was not significant price drops, but rather the improved picture and audio quality derived from switching from standard definition to HD programming.
Television — Consumers can’t seem to live without it
Fifty-six percent of survey respondents admit to watching more than six hours of TV per week, and 30 percent of these respondents confess they tune in for more than 10 hours per week. Sixty-four percent watch all their programs on a traditional television, while only 3 percent stream television programs on their personal computer. As the Federal Communications Commission–mandated Digital Television transition nears, 73 percent of online shoppers are prepared, while 14 percent will purchase a new HDTV that reads digital signals.
What is everyone watching?
Whether it is hours of TV drama trailers or hours of political ads, there is no clear winner of which genre will draw a larger television audience this fall season. Survey results indicate a tie (26 percent) between the number of consumers who will watch TV dramas this fall and those who will watch the presidential election. The fall TV show that 41 percent of consumers are looking forward to watching this season is Grey’s Anatomy, followed by Dancing with the Stars with 39 percent.
PriceGrabber.com will continue to track online and holiday shopping trends in the coming months. To view the full Consumer Behavior Report, which also includes HDTV manufacturer pricing trends, the top 10 HDTVs on PriceGrabber.com, and more results from the HDTV and fall TV show trends survey, please visit http://mr.pricegrabber.com.
About PriceGrabber.com
PriceGrabber.com, part of Experian InteractiveSM, has established itself as one of the most trusted and effective online comparison shopping services, allowing approximately 26 million consumers each month to search and compare information that enables them to find the right product from the right retailer at the best price. Through continued innovation and a consistent focus on providing the best comparison shopping experience on the Internet, PriceGrabber.com provides savvy shoppers access to millions of unique products and services from thousands of retailers and sellers in 25 product channels. The company also powers comparison shopping functionality for a network of leading Internet sites, including MSN Shopping, AOL Shopping, About.com, iVillage, Comcast and CNET. The company offers comparison shopping in English (at http://www.pricegrabber.com), Spanish (at http://www.preciomania.com) and Portuguese (at http://www.precomania.com) as well as international sites in Canada and the United Kingdom.
PriceGrabber.com is headquartered in Los Angeles, Calif. PriceGrabber is a registered trademark, and PriceGrabber.com and BottomLinePrice are trademarks of PriceGrabber.com, Inc., a Delaware corporation. Other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
About Experian
Experian® is a global leader in providing information, analytical and marketing services to organizations and consumers to help manage the risk and reward of commercial and financial decisions.
Combining its unique information tools and deep understanding of individuals, markets and economies, Experian partners with organizations around the world to establish and strengthen customer relationships and provide their businesses with competitive advantage.
For consumers, Experian delivers critical information that enables them to make financial and purchasing decisions with greater control and confidence. Clients include organizations from financial services, retail and catalog, telecommunications, utilities, media, insurance, automotive, leisure, e-commerce, manufacturing, property and government sectors.
Experian plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange (EXPN) and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 index. Experian has corporate headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, and has operational headquarters in Costa Mesa, Calif., and Nottingham, UK. The Group employs approximately 15,500 people in 38 countries worldwide, supporting clients in more than 65 countries around the world. Continuing sales for the year ended March 31, 2008, were in excess of $4 billion.
For more information, visit www.experianplc.com.
Contact:
Michelle Kane
PriceGrabber.com
1 310 954 1040, ext. 289 Telephone
mkane@pricegrabber.com Email
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