More than 40% of UK and US homes use DVRs

The Humax HDR-1800T DVR

More than 40% of broadband households in the US and UK and over 30% of broadband households in Belgium and France have a DVR, according to new research by Parks Associates.

In its ‘Cloud DVR: The New Face of Television’ report, Parks says that more than 45% of US pay TV subscribers find cloud DVR technology “very appealing” and that consumers show “particular interest” in unlimited storage space and two-week catch-up services.

However, Parks adds that though consumer demand for DVR capabilities remains strong, the industry is still grappling with “contentious content issues” such as storage capacity and duration.

“Acquiring the rights for cloud DVR systems has been a complicated and arduous process. Many European providers have been extremely diligent in negotiating with content rights owners on cloud DVR, but in the US, there is a much greater reliance on statutory and case law. Companies are relying on legislatures and courts to decide the status of rights,” said Parks Associates research analyst, Glenn Hower.

He added: “The Aereo case left licensing for cloud DVR rights largely unaffected, allowing pay-TV providers to move forward with cloud DVR development and implementation.”