NDS Media Center: Owning a Digital Video Recorder (DVR) Leads to a Happier Home Life According to NDS Survey

Owning a Digital Video Recorder (DVR) Leads to a Happier Home Life According to NDS Survey

Survey Highlights:

According to the NDS DVR Report, an international survey of over 1,000 DVR owners:

Italians rank the DVR, such as MySKY and MySKY HD set-top boxes, as the fourth most indispensible household item (59%), after the washing machine (97%), the microwave oven (64%) and the hairdryer (61%)
Italians rank the DVR as the second most essential household technology item they can’t live without (73%), beaten only by the mobile phone (95%)
78% of Italians with partners say that having a DVR makes for a happier home life

LONDON, UK – September 3, 2008 – Over half of Italians who own a Digital Video Recorder (DVR) can’t live without it, according to a new survey of DVR owners commissioned by NDS, the leading provider of technology solutions for digital pay-TV.

A DVR or personal video recorder (PVR), like MySKY and MySKY HD set-top boxes in Italy, lets you record TV shows in digital format to a disk drive within the TV set-top box. NDS technology allows satellite TV subscribers to pause live TV, record, play back, rewind and fast forward their TV programs for viewing when they choose.

Other than the washing machine (97% of respondents), the microwave oven (64%) and the hairdryer (61%), no other household item is deemed more essential than the DVR (59%) in today’s Italian homes. And when it comes to essential technology gadgets, the DVR (73%) is pipped to the post only by the mobile phone (95%), as the item they can’t live without. Intriguingly, the vast majority of respondents would rather give up their landline phone, dishwasher, radio and MP3 player than their DVR.

The survey also reveals that owning a DVR can make for a happier, less stressful home life. 82% of respondents with families believe that having a DVR has improved family life – which might help to explain why the DVR is ranked so favourably against other household items. Having a DVR also seems to improve relations between the sexes, with respondents who have partners saying that using a DVR has improved their relationship with their partner (78%). One respondent commented: “The programmes we watch have not changed much, but it’s so convenient because we can watch them together, when it suits us”.

Other report highlights

The statistics and trends detailed in the NDS DVR Report demonstrate how important a role DVRs now play in the lives of Italian consumers. NDS is the world leader in DVR technology. Over 18 pay-TV operators located all over the world have chosen NDS solutions to bring the unique capabilities and flexibility of the DVR to their subscribers, and there are more than 13.1 million NDS-powered DVRs in households around the world today. NDS wanted to know how DVRs are changing people’s lives.

Other key findings from the Italian survey include:

DVR owners watch on average a total of 4.1 hours of television a day, made up of 2.8 hours of broadcast TV and 1.3 hours of recorded TV
61% find that they are watching more interesting TV programmes since getting a DVR
75% agree that since getting a DVR they are more likely to find something to watch, when they want to watch TV
56% of people with a DVR think that it is a good idea because you never have to miss your favourite show
78% of DVR owners think that having a DVR has improved how much they enjoy watching TV
57% of respondents who have only one DVR at the moment are so pleased with it that they would like to get a second one

Commenting on the survey results, Nigel Smith, Chief Marketing Officer of NDS, said: “The results show how fast the DVR has become an indispensable part of many people’s lives in Italy. It’s one of those technologies that, once tried, has you wondering how you coped before. Other than the washing machine, the mobile phone, the microwave and the hairdryer, the DVR is now seen as the household item people would least like to give up, which means they would rather wash up their dishes than be parted from their DVR! And if having a DVR also makes relationships with partners and immediate family less stressful and happier, it’s got to be a good thing.”

Highlights: UK, US, Australia and Italy comparisons

Comparisons with the results from the same survey that was conducted simultaneously in the US, Italy and Australia also make for interesting reading. A few highlights are:

British DVR owners reportedly watch the least TV per day (3.7 hours), while the Americans watch the most at 4.7 hours a day
Italian DVR owners care more about their hair than their DVR: British (70%), American (62%) and Australian (67%) DVR owners all rank the DVR as the third most important household item, while the Italians ranked the DVR in fourth place (59%) after the washing machine, the microwave and the hairdryer
DVR owners with families in the US and Australia also place great emphasis on the power of the DVR to improve relationships between family members: 81% of Americans and 76% of Australians felt that this was the case, while only 64% of British respondents agreed
Around half of Italian (57%), American (52%) and Australian (49%) DVR owners with only one DVR are keen to get a second, compared to just 30% of British DVR owners.

Chart of key findings

Question	UK	US	Italy	Australia
Average number of hours of TV watched per day (live & recorded)	3.7	4.7	4.1	3.8
Agree that since getting a DVR they are more likely to find something to watch, when they want to watch	77%	83%	75%	72%
Those with partners who found that having a DVR has improved their relationship	62%	79%	78%	78%
Those with families who found that having a DVR has improved family life	64%	81%	82%	76%
Those with one DVR who would like to get a second	30%	52%	57%	49%
Ranked the DVR as the second most indispensable household technology item, after the mobile phone	78%	81%	73%	75%
Ranked the DVR as the third most indispensable household item after the washing machine and the microwave	70%	62%	59%* *ranked fourth	67%

Slides for key questions: Italy only

Here’s a list of eight popular pieces of today’s household technology – but you can only have four – which four have become a vital part of your life and which could you live without?

	Keep	Can Live Without
Mobile phone	95%	5%
Radio	62%	38%
iPod	41%	59%
Digital video recorder for the TV	73%	27%
Landline telephone	53%	47%
Home theatre system	28%	72%
Photo printer	26%	74%
Games console	25%	75%

Here’s a list of eight useful household items – but you can only have four – which four have become a vital part of your life and which could you live without?

	Keep	Can Live Without
Washing machine	94%	6%
Strimmer	6%	94%
Microwave	67%	33%
Digital video recorder for the TV	59%	41%
Coffee maker	45%	55%
Blender	14%	86%
Hairdryer	61%	39%
Dishwasher	56%	44%

Research methodology

The survey was carried out by Consumer Analysis Group in July 2008. The survey involved 1,012 people aged 18-70 years old who have a DVR at home. Consumers in the UK (256), US (252), Italy (251) and Australia (253), were questioned using a mix of phone, street and online interviews.

For a copy of the complete NDS DVR Survey please click here or email Lindsey Lee at llee@breakawaycom.com.

About NDS
NDS Group plc (NASDAQ: NNDS), a majority owned subsidiary of News Corporation, supplies open end-to-end digital technology and services to digital pay-television platform operators and content providers. See www.nds.com for more information about NDS.

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This document may contain certain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on management’s views and assumptions regarding future events and business performance as of the time the statements are made. Actual results may differ materially from these expectations due to changes in global economic, business, competitive market, regulatory and other factors. More detailed information about these and other factors that could affect future results is contained in our filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Any “forward-looking statements” included in this document are made only as of the date of this document and we do not have any obligation, nor do we undertake, to publicly update any “forward-looking statements” to reflect subsequent events or circumstances, except as required by law.

For further information:

NDS
Cynthia Ritchie	T: +44 (0)20 8476 8378
Director, Corporate Communications	critchie@nds.com

Breakaway Communications for NDS	T: +1 212 616 6006
Kelly Fitzgerald, Managing Partner	kfitz@breakawaycom.com

Breakaway Communications Europe for NDS	T: +44 (0)7766 447897
Lindsey Lee	llee@breakawaycom.com