First it was black and white, then it was color, then it was high definition and now it’s 4K ultra high definition. There have been so many iterations of screen quality that it’s tough for the average consumer to keep up, particularly when the difference between hd and 4K is not nearly as stark as that of black and white and color. In fact, a new survey from Snell Advanced Media (SAM) shows that 64% of Americans don’t even know what 4K is.
While it is expected to have some portion of the population unaware of 4K, the study found that only 17% of adult Americans are fully aware of 4K and what the technology is. Such a small portion of the population is surprising given the push most broadcasters have been making to encourage their consumers to invest in 4K technology. Unsurprisingly, the millennial population is more educated on the issue with 30% of millennial Americans aware of what 4K technology is Of those millennial ages 18-64, a quarter of them say that they have watched 4K content within the last four months.
Neil Maycock, EVP & General Manager, Media Software Solutions at SAM said,
“At SAM, we frequently survey consumer sentiment to help us better understand the relationship between our customers and their audience. It was evident from our research that even though 4K is a huge industry buzzword, and something many broadcasters have already begun preparing to deliver to consumers, most Americans don’t quite know what that entails. The knowledge gap between broadcaster and customer revealed by our research goes to show that finding the right formula to deliver and implement a winning 4K strategy is the key to broadcasters’ success”.
There is a silver lining for 4K content producers; the same survey found that 40% of those surveyed will likely invest in a 4K television after being educated about the technology. 65% of those surveyed indicated that the investment was worth it simply because of the ability to watch live sporting events in ultra high definition.
“In particular, sports networks have a significant opportunity to capitalize on the attention they receive from live viewing, as we’ve seen with high profile arrangements like the NFL live streams on Twitter,” Maycock said. “We expect [broadcasters to make] every effort to push live sports content to more channels, faster, all with the quality consumers come to expect from their televisions.”
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