• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, January 4, 2013

According to new consumer research from Leichtman Research Group (LRG), 52% of households in the US that subscribe to a multi-channel video service have a Digital Video Recorder (DVR), compared to 4% of TV households that do not subscribe to a multi-channel video service.  In addition, 43% of all households with a DVR now have DVR on more than one TV set.  About 20% of all TV households now have DVR on more than one TV set, an increase from 6% five years ago.

Netflix subscribers, having a premium service, increased to 51% this year of those who subscribe to a multi-channel video service vs. 43% last year, and 40% in 2010, and a decrease in those who would consider dropping premium service.

Additional, related findings include:

• 71% of Telco video subscribers, 63% of DBS subscribers, and 42% of cable subscribers, have a DVR
• 81% with DVR on more than one TV set rate the service 8-10 (10 being excellent), compared to 73% with DVR on one TV set
• 70% of all digital cable subscribers have used VOD, compared to 58% in 2007, and 25% in 2004
• 59% of digital cable subscribers, and 64% of Telco video subscribers, used on-Demand in the past month
• 68% of VOD users who also have a DVR strongly agree that their TV service is better because they have both VOD and DVR
• 26% of Netflix subscribers use Watch Instantly daily, and 59% weekly
• 79% of Netflix Watch Instantly users use it to watch movies and TV shows on a TV set

Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst for LRG, concludes that “... the percentage of all TV households in the US with a DVR has... doubled over the past five years, and... expanding to more TV sets in the home... consumers are increasingly integrating DVR, VOD and On-Demand TV viewing into their TV viewing patterns... ”

These findings are based on a survey of over 1,300 households throughout the United States, and are part of LRG’s study, On-Demand TV 2012:  A Nationwide Study on VOD and DVRs.