Since the start of 2010, quite a few of the more well-known TV makers including Panasonic, Samsung, Sony and LG have invested a sizable amount of resources into developing, launching and marketing 3D TV sets. So far there have been mixed data about how 3D TVs will fare, with some surveys indicating high interests among tech-savvy consumers, but others revealing sluggish sales and stunted uptake. Unfortunately for manufacturers, retailers and content providers who have bet big on 3D technology, the latter seems to be the more likely scenario according to the latest survey conducted in the United Kingdom.
YouGov, the internet-based market research company which has supplied data (including the UK General Election 2010 opinion polls) to some famous media firms such as Sky News, The Economist, The Daily Telegraph and the Sunday Times, surveyed 4,199 Brits when compiling a report for auditing firm Deloitte. Only 89 of the respondents – or a meagre 2% – said that they were likely to purchase a 3D TV in the next 12 months.
Naturally the younger and technologically-inclined audience aged between 25 and 34 showed the highest interest in spending money on a 3D TV set, with 5% of the respondents within this age group stating that they would commit to buying a 3D-ready television before the summer of 2011 is up. In contrast, only 1% of respondents over the age of 45 were thinking about joining the 3D revolution, making them the demographic group least likely to invest in a 3D TV display.
This malaise of purchase interest is not only limited to extra-dimensional TV sets; the survey found that it’s prevalent across the television and broadcast sector, with many respondents showing little to no interest in spending money on new Internet-enabled TVs (IETVs) or personal video recorders (PVRs). 7% of those surveyed were ready to fork out for a flat-screen HDTV within the next year, making it the most popular television product among respondents.
Picking up on the restraint with which respondents were forecasting on their own technology spending behaviour over the upcoming 12 months, Deloitte’s director of media research Paul Lee concluded that UK consumers are reluctant to splash out on new TV products due to the economic uncertainty.
