Media execs expect UHDTV to be mainstream in five to seven years

Ultra-high-definition TV is likely to become a mainstream service within five to seven years, according to a survey of media executives by satellite operator Intelsat.

According to the survey, 63% of media executives expect 4K UHDTV consumption to be mainstream within five to seven years, while 42% have already taken the decision to launch a 4K UHDTV service and have a specific timeframe for its rollout, with 23% planning to launch in less than four years.

Opinions are divided on which distribution platform is set to benefit the most. About 35% of on-technical executives expect DTH satellite TV to be the first segment to gain momentum compared to 60% of technical executives who believe video-on-demand is where 4K UHDTV will first take hold.

Intelsat surveyed technical and non-technical, primarily marketing, media executives from its global customer base.

Forty-seven per cent of the executives surveyed believe 4K UHDTV will first take hold in Asia Pacific, while 34% expect North America to be the early adopter and only 16% believe western Europe will take the lead in rolling out the new technology.

Two thirds of survey respondents cited higher transmission and content production costs as an issue of concern to them, while availability of more efficient transmission technologies was cited by 62%, availability of affordable television sets by 51% and ability to achieve a return on their investment by 71%.

“While it is becoming more evident that the transition to 4K UHDTV is highly likely, the road to adoption will take many paths, given the business model evolution resulting from the multi-screen viewing environment,” stated Peter Ostapiuk, vice-president, media product management, Intelsat.

“As with high definition television, socio-economics, demographics and technology infrastructure will determine the adoption timeline.  This time, however, media companies are more focused on building the right business model that will enable them to deliver high quality and reliable content delivery across multiple platforms and, at the same time, achieve a strong return on their investment.”