Digital cable holds the edge over satellite TV as the technology choice of most Canadian analog television subscribers who express an intention to upgrade to a digital TV platform within the next year, according to a new consumer research survey. Of analog subscribers who say they “definitely” or “probably” will subscribe to a digital television service within the next 12 months, more than one-third (37 percent) say they are more likely to subscribe to digital cable, compared to 31 percent for satellite TV, 6 percent for wireless cable, and 5 percent for a TV service from their local telephone company. One in five (21 percent), however, say they don’t know which technology they would choose. These are among the findings of a Canadian consumer research study released by Ottawa-based Decima Publishing and Decima Research.

Based on responses from survey respondents, and assigning a weighting factor, Decima is projecting that digital TV penetration will increase marginally to 41 percent from the current 38 percent of all TV subscription households in Canada within the next year.

“When asked why they don’t subscribe to digital television service, 33 percent of analog subscribers say that price is the number one reason,” says Rick Nadeau, lead researcher on the consumer research study.