• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, March 13, 2004

DVR Consumers Sacrifice Convenience and Cash to Skip TV Commercials

Two recent reports from Knowledge Networks/SRI shows that early adopters of home media technologies are willing to pay a significant price for the capability to bypass commercials in television programming; but many may not be willing to offer up information on their viewing habits as part of the bargain.

• 63% of these high-tech consumers say that watching commercials is a fair price to pay for TV programming
• 72% do not think that DVR ad-skipping capabilities should be restricted or eliminated. 86% of respondents age 18 to 34 feel this way, but only 66% of those 50 or older do.
• 74% of early adopters said that the ability to skip commercials is more important to them than being able to watch programs "on demand" (at the time most convenient to them).
• About 5% of early adopters have a DVR, and 14% of non-owners say they would be "very interested" in paying $10 extra per month for a set-top box with a DVR built in.
• 57% of those users with advanced TV DVR services feel that "No one should be able to find out any information about what I watch."

More information from knowledgenetworks.com.