Consumers Less Satisfied With TV Service

Washington, D.C. (May 15, 2007) -- Despite the rollout of new High-Definition TV services, viewers are less satisfied with the service of their cable and satellite TV providers.

That's according to the new American Customer Satisfaction Index, an annual reading of consumer moods in dozens of categories. The report is published by the University of Michigan’s National Quality Research Center.

The new study found that customer satisfaction with the cable and satellite industries combined fell two percent to 62 percent, the lowest level of customer satisfaction in the entire index. (In contrast, the telecommunications industry scored a 70 rating.)

Even worse, according to the ACSI, not one TV provider improved on its rating from last year. For instance, DIRECTV fell six percent to 67; Comcast fell seven percent to 56; and Time Warner declined five percent to 58.

DIRECTV and satellite rival EchoStar each scored 67 this year, which tied them for the top scorer in the TV provider category.

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Despite the low scores, compared to other industries, DIRECTV and EchoStar quickly issued statements saying the ACSI study found that they fared better than their cable counterparts.

“Once again, no other cable or satellite provider has a higher customer satisfaction rating than DIRECTV,” said John Suranyi, DIRECTV's president of sales and service. “We take great pride in that knowledge and our employees are to be congratulated. While we improved in some areas, we still have work to do in others to bring our performance levels up to where we believe they need to be to consistently exceed the expectations of our customers. We have initiatives in place to achieve that goal and further distance ourselves from the competition.”

"The 2007 ACSI results mark the third time in four years that DISH Network has scored a No. 1 ranking -- a testament to the significant investments we've made in our customer care and service levels, and the hard work of our employees, retailers, regional service providers and telco partners," said Carl Vogel, president and vice chairman for EchoStar's DISH Network.

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Phillip Swann is president and publisher of TVPredictions.com. He has been quoted in dozens of publications and broadcast outlets, including CNN, Fox News, Inside Edition, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The Financial Times, The Associated Press and The Hollywood Reporter. He can be reached at swann@tvpredictions.com or at 703-505-3064.

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