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UPDATE Feb. 10: The data has been revised to reflect the numerous FOX carriage agreements that were signed in the last two weeks before the Super Bowl.
Jan. 25 -- As part of our second in-depth look at HD channel availability in the U.S., we analyzed the data that we collect in the top 25 markets. We were specifically interested in how the various cable companies are carrying high-definition channels and the discrepancies that exist both among different companies and geographically. A synopsis of our findings is below, followed by the actual data.
HDTV - Channel Carriage
ESPN HD and HBO HD are the most-carried cable channels in high-definition, with 100% of the cable companies in the top 25 U.S. markets offering those two channels in HD. NBC is carried in high-definition on 98% of the cable systems in the top 25 markets, while FOX is on 96% and Discovery HD Theater is carried on 94%. Several channels available in high-definition are carried on fewer than half of the cable systems in the top 25 markets, including HDNet and HDNet Movies (44% each), TNT HD (18%), Universal HD (10%), The Movie Channel HD (2%) and Encore HD (0%), indicating that the industry still has considerable work ahead of it in delivering a full slate of HD channels to its customers.
BuyingHDTV.com research shows that there are 25 cable HDTV networks available nationwide. There are also a smaller number of regional sports or local independent channels available only in certain markets.
HDTV is rapidly growing in consumer adoption, and with over two-thirds of U.S. television households subscribing to cable TV service, cable company carriage of HDTV channels is a critical factor in the government-mandated transition from analog to digital transmission of broadcast television signals.
HDTV - Geography
Residents of Seattle have the highest average number of HD cable channels available to them, 16. Boston is next at 15.7, followed by Baltimore, Chicago, Cincinnati, Houston, Phoenix, the San Francisco Bay Area and Tampa at 15. St. Louis is last among the top 25, with eight high-def channels available to local cable subscribers.
HDTV - Cable Provider
Cablevision offers its customers the most channels in HD, 17, while Time Warner Cable is second at 14.9 per market. Comcast averages 13.8 high-def channels per market. Charter offers the fewest HD channels among cable companies serving the top 25 markets, at 9.0 on average.
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