Abstract:

Digital delivery of TV and other digitally-delivered services is about to begin in the United Kingdom. Data gathered by the futura.com panel which was set up in 1996 indicate that consumer interest and potential uptake may be less rapid than predicted in some quarters. Both attitudinal and behavioural measures reveal differential levels of interest and take-up among different sectors of the population, with the young being the most pro-technology. Awareness of the imminent launch of digital broadcasting services in the United Kingdom is very low indeed. However, the potential benefits offered by digital broadcasting are attractive to many people, but on a qualified basis. Time use data suggest that free time devoted to TV is particularly vulnerable to erosion by the newer technologies. Initial multivariate analyses indicate that demographic and attitudinal characteristics are major influences on the degree of interest in new technologies.