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The US’s leading provider of HDTV has credited its 95 channels of HD content as one of the main reason for increasing subscribers even as the economy falters.
Paul Guyardo, DirecTV’s chief marketing officer, said the company had not been greatly affected by the US economic slowdown.
DirecTV added 275,000 subscribers in the first quarter, compared to just 35,000 for rival Dish Network.
He attributed the satcaster’s market-leading HD offering as a major factor in the increase.
“I don’t want to say that we are recession-proof, but I will say that we have not been dramatically affected by the recession,” he said.
Posts Tagged: voices-of-the-industry
With Blu-ray sales still not setting the heather alight much has been made of the high cost of HD players and continued viewer satisfaction with standard-definition DVD.
Paul Erickson, director of DVD and HD Market Research at DisplaySearch, is in no doubt these are big factors contributing to Blu-ray’s slow shift into the living room.
Adding to the picture is the emergence of online content delivery as a viable source of HD programming, something that is seen as posing a real threat to Blu-ray’s long-term survival.
If Europe wants to benefit from the growing HDTV market, broadcasters and production companies must take a broader view.
That is the advice of Jaume Rey, director of Professional & Broadcast IT Systems Business Unit (PBITS), part of the Panasonic group.
Urging those involved in producing TV programmes to look beyond local markets, he noted that while European consumers have embraced HD acquisition technology, many viewers are still watching television on SD sets.
“In countries such as Spain, broadcasters and production companies must show a lead in the introduction of HD," he said. "In a growing market, manufacturers need to think globally instead of locally where content production and distribution is concerned.”
Bob Willis, president of the US Electronic Components Association (ECA), said its members remain optimistic about the outlook in the face of an uncertain economic climate.
Orders dipped in April, following a roller-coaster pattern that has prevailed over the past six months.
The 12-month average remained relatively flat, according to the monthly index compiled by the ECA.
Yet despite ominous economic news, Willis said his members were upbeat while conceding that growth is unlikely to match that of last year.