Where's the 4K? Consumers Don't Know How to Find 4K Video
Plenty of consumers have televisions that support 4K video, but viewers still don't know where to find ultra-HD content, even when they have access to it through paid services.
A report from Hub Entertainment Research finds that less than half the people with a 4K television (43%) have ever used it to watch 4K programming. The top reasons for not doing so are that they don’t' know where to find shows and movies in 4K (30%) and they don’t think they have access to any 4K content (22%).
But they likely do have access: The report points out that 4 in 5 of all consumers who own a 4K connected TV subscribe to Netflix or Amazon Prime Video.
The fault lies with content providers, the report points out. If they better communicated 4K viewing options, consumption of 4K video would likely increase.
The report finds a similar breakdown in HDR adoption. While three-quarters of consumers are interested in TVs that support HDR content, only a third of them know what the term means. Likewise, 59% of consumers are interested in 8K content, but only 17% are knowledgeable about what 8K means.
Again, the report says, better communication is needed. If viewers understand what their TVs can do, they're more likely to seek out that content.
“Consumer education came across as a key finding," says David Tice, research consultant at Hub Entertainment Research. "Whether it’s where to access 4K content for people with 4K sets, or a lack of familiarity with new TV set features like HDR, TV retailers and content distributors may be leaving a lot of money on the table simply because newer TV sets and services are outpacing consumer knowledge. And if consumers don’t understand, they are less likely to use an advanced feature, or be willing to pay a premium to get it.”
Hub's findings come from an online survey of 2,517 U.S. 16- to 74-year-olds in May and June of this year. For more findings, download an excerpt of "Evolution of the TV Set" for free (registration required).
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