46 million 4K Ultra HD pay TV households by 2018

More than 46 million households worldwide will subscribe to a 4K UHD pay-TV service by 2018

New research from Parks Associates finds more than 46 million households worldwide will subscribe to a 4K UHD pay-TV service by 2018. Pay-TV providers will deploy this service as a differentiator, especially among younger consumers who are more likely to use new pay-TV features, such as TV Everywhere and cloud DVR, but also have slightly lower subscription rates for pay-TV services. In the U.S., 82% of consumers 18-22 have a pay-TV subscription, compared to 87% among older consumers.

Brett Sappington, Director of Research at Parks Associates, will discuss strategies to deploy 4K solutions that align with consumer demands and expectations during the session “Understanding the Importance of 4K” on Wednesday, October 15, at TV Xperience World 2014 in New York.

“To enjoy the true benefits of 4K, three things need to be present: the television, the content, and a way to get the content to the TV,” Sappington said. “4K can deliver an enhanced experience to viewers, but these three factors are not yet aligned. Getting 4K content to the TV remains a key challenge as is the pace of production of 4K content. At TV Xperience, we will discuss these challenges and recommendations for industry players as they plan for a 4K world.”