Almost one-quarter of all U.S. television households (23.3%) own a high definition TV set as of Nov. 30, Nielsen reported Thursday.
Nielsen’s estimates are based on a field staff review that identified TV sets capable of receiving and displaying high definition pictures, as well as those that are actually receiving those signals.
High definition TV penetration in the U.S. has more than doubled since July 2007, when Nielsen began tracking HDTV status. At that time, only 10% of U.S. homes had access to high definition TV.
With HDTV
Month/Year
% of U.S. Households
November 2008
23.3%
October 2008
22.2%
September 2008
21.3%
August 2008
20.4%
July 2008
19.6%
June 2008
18.9%
May 2008
18.1%
April 2008
17.1%
March 2008
16.2%
February 2008
15.3%
January 2008
14.5%
December 2007
13.5%
November 2007
12.8%
October 2007
12.1%
September 2007
11.3%
August 2007
10.5%
July 2007
10.0%
Source: The Nielsen Company (July 1, 2007 – November 30, 2008).
Washington, D.C., where 31.1% of homes are HDTV-enabled, has the highest HDTV penetration of Nielsen’s 18 largest local TV markets. Boston and New York follow, with HDTV penetrations of 30.5% and 30.2%, respectively. Detroit has the lowest HDTV penetration: 20.9% of homes.
Nielsen Local TV Markets With HDTV (November 2008)
Top 18
% Households In Market
Washington, DC (Hagerstown)
31.1%
Boston (Manchester)
30.5%
New York
30.2%
Seattle-Tacoma
29.8%
Philadelphia
29.1%
Los Angeles
28.9%
Chicago
27.0%
Phoenix
26.9%
San Francisco-Oak-San Jose
26.8%
Tampa-St. Pete (Sarasota)
26.7%
Denver
26.4%
Atlanta
25.7%
Dallas-Ft. Worth
25.0%
Houston
23.7%
Cleveland – Akron
23.6%
Minneapolis – St. Paul
21.6%
Miami-Ft. Lauderdale
21.4%
Detroit
20.9%
Total U.S.
23.3%
Source: The Nielsen Company (November 30, 2008).
Sporting events have the highest index of viewing in HDTV households, with HDTV receivable and capable homes watching 54% more sports than households that are not HDTV capable. Political programming and awards shows are also popular with HDTV households.
View the full press release.
Read coverage of Nielsen’s findings on Contentinople.com and in Broadcasting & Cable, Multichannel News, and Media Post,
