A survey by Parks Associates, revealed at CES 2016, has shown that around 17% of broadband households in the UK, France, Germany and Spain are planning to buy a flat-panel TV in the next 12 months – and more than 50% consider UltraHD an important feature.
54% of consumers planning a new TV purchase said that they were willing to buy such a set, expecting that more content will soon become available. The exact split between countries was 59% in the UK, 57% in France, 53% in Spain and 49% in Germany
Picture quality is an important consideration among flat-panel TV buyers in Western Europe. Spanish consumers value it the most and Germans the least. However, French consumers were found to be the most willing to pay a premium for UltraHD picture quality.
Glenn Hower, a research analyst at Parks, said that broadcasters could be driven to invest in UltraHD if set ownership spikes. He also noted that the OTT market in Europe is crowded, and UltraHD content could become a differentiator.
