HDTV Now in 80% of U.S. Homes

Durham, NH, March 13, 2015 --New consumer research from Leichtman Research Group, Inc. (LRG) found that 81% of households in the United States have at least one high definition television (HDTV) set, and about 52% of all households have multiple HDTVs. Five years ago, 46% of US households had at least one HDTV, and 17% of households had more than one HDTV.

About 75% of TV sets used in HD households are HDTVs. Including non-HDTV households, 65% of all television sets used in US households are HDTVs -- up from 24% in 2009, and 3% in 2004.

These findings are based on a survey of 1,231 households throughout the United States, and are part of a new LRG study, HDTV XII. This is LRG's twelfth annual study related to HDTV.

Other findings include:

  • 89% of HDTV households, and 91% of multi-HDTV households, subscribe to a pay-TV service -- compared to 67% of non-HDTV households
  • 41% of adults have heard of 4K Ultra HDTV -- up from 30% last year
  • 26% of those who have seen a 4K HDTV are interested getting one -- compared to 6% of those who have not seen a 4K TV
  • 52% of those who purchased a TV set in the past year have a Smart TV, and 38% have an Internet-connected Smart TV
  • About 11% of all TVs used in US households are connected Smart TVs
  • 24% of all households purchased a TV set in the past 12 months -- an annual level that has been at 20% or above for each of the past eleven years.

"While HDTV now seems commonplace in the US, much of the growth of HD has come in recent years," said Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst for Leichtman Research Group, Inc. "Over the past five years, more than one-third of all US households got their first HDTV, and HDTV's share of TV sets used in US households grew from about 24% to 65%."