Whether Hosting Their Own Party or Going Out, HD is Crucial, Underscoring the Need for HD Service
As millions of TV viewers make their Super Bowl plans, a new survey conducted by Comcast offers important information for potential party hosts: the high-definition (HD) experience — an HD television and HD service — will play a big part in how and where people choose to watch the Patriots and Giants take the field in Arizona.
Comcast’s study found that 47% of consumers-including 52% of men and 41% of women-expect to make an effort to watch the game in HD. In addition, the study found that 35% of consumers are more likely to host a Super Bowl party of their own if they have the HD experience at home, while 43% said they’re more likely to accept an invitation to a Super Bowl party thrown by someone else if the host offers the HD experience for the game.
“Buying a new HDTV is like driving to the goal line-but to score the touchdown, you need the best high-definition service,” said Derek Harrar, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Video Services for Comcast. “Comcast gives customers the best picture, the most choices and the easiest way to get HD in time for the Super Bowl-no one else can match our HD experience.”
Comcast high definition service is easy to install, requiring no satellite dishes on customers’ roofs and no extensive home rewiring. To ensure HD service is ready for kick-off, Comcast recommends that customers schedule their HD service installation when they purchase their sets. Some Comcast markets are offering HD priority installations during the weeks leading up to the big game so customers can get their service as quickly as possible after setting up their new HDTV set.
Comcast already offers more HD choices than any other provider. This year, the company plans to expand its HD selections to over 1,000 HD choices every month, ensuring that diehard fans going through football withdrawal will have the most HD movies, sports and TV shows to hold them over until training camps open this summer.
Survey Methodology
The study was conducted for Comcast via EXCEL telephone omnibus by ICR, an independent research company. Interviews were conducted from 11/20/07 to 11/25/07 among a nationally representative sample of 662 adults who either own an HDTV or are interested in high definition television. The margin of error is +/- 3.8%
About Comcast Corporation
Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) (http://www.comcast.com) is the nation’s leading provider of entertainment, information and communications products and services. With 24.2 million cable customers, 12.9 million high- speed Internet customers, and 4.1 million voice customers, Comcast is principally involved in the development, management and operation of broadband cable systems and in the delivery of programming content.
Comcast’s content networks and investments include E! Entertainment Television, Style Network, The Golf Channel, VERSUS, G4, AZN Television, PBS KIDS Sprout, TV One, ten regional Comcast SportsNets and Comcast Interactive Media, which develops and operates Comcast’s Internet business. Comcast also has a majority ownership in Comcast-Spectacor, whose major holdings include the Philadelphia Flyers NHL hockey team, the Philadelphia 76ers NBA basketball team and two large multipurpose arenas in Philadelphia.
