Harris Interactive's IPTV Survey

Harris Interactive's released an IPTV Survey last week.

Highlights:

"Many adults expressed a great deal of interest in the interactive features IPTV has to offer, the most popular of which include:

• The ability to save money, since IPTV should be far less costly than cable or satellite (42%)
• The ability to select the time you watch a program (on demand) (33%)
• The ability to receive a broader array of programming content to meet your particular interests (24%)
• High-definition viewing (20%)
• Digital video recording (18%)
• Interactive program guide with navigation and search functions (15%)

Types of providers adults say they would feel most comfortable with delivering IPTV service include:

• A cable company like CableVision or Comcast (33%)
• A new company that has no baggage (25%)
• A technology company like Cisco or Microsoft (15%)
• A telephone provider like Verizon or SBC (13%)
• An Internet provider like AOL or Earthlink (11%)
• A content provider like Disney or CNN (4%)

Milt Ellis, vice president and senior consultant for the Technology Research Practice at Harris Interactive comments: "It’s no surprise to find that consumers want to save money on their cable or satellite bill, but the survey results also show that many consumers are quite interested in having access to a broad range of content to watch, at a time they determine.

When consumers are able to watch their favorite shows at a time of their own choosing, "prime time" may need redefining, network program schedules may have little meaning, and TV ad rates will have to be recalculated. If and when IPTV becomes a mainstream reality, it could be the best of times for consumers and IPTV providers and challenging times for the networks, as well as cable and satellite providers."