More than 46 million households worldwide will subscribe to a 4K UHD pay-TV service by 2018, according to Parks Associates.
Pay-TV providers will deploy this service as a differentiator, especially among younger consumers who are more likely to use new pay-TV features, such as TV Everywhere and cloud DVR, but also have slightly lower subscription rates for pay-TV services. In the US, 82% of consumers 18-22 have a pay-TV subscription, compared to 87% among older consumers.
“To enjoy the true benefits of 4K, three things need to be present: the television, the content, and a way to get the content to the TV,” said Brett Sappington, director of research at Parks Associates.
“4K can deliver an enhanced experience to viewers, but these three factors are not yet aligned. Getting 4K content to the TV remains a key challenge as is the pace of production of 4K content. At TV Xperience, we will discuss these challenges and recommendations for industry players as they plan for a 4K world.”
