The Asia-Pacific region is rapidly gearing up for HDTV content, new research reports.

Total consumer revenue from HDTV content broadcasted in the region will jump from $3.2bn in 2006 to $8.06bn by 2012, according to In-Stat.

The research firm estimates that over 9.9 million TV households in five Asia/Pacific countries - Australia, China, Japan, South Korea and Singapore - received and watched HDTV programming by the end of 2006.

In-Stat expects that number to climb "rapidly" over the next three years.

"HDTV content availability remains limited in the region, with only five countries offering the service beyond an experimental basis," said In-Stat analyst Alice Zhang.

"Besides Japan and Australia, which are mainly broadcasting self-developed content, there is a significant amount of content being broadcasted by China, Korea and Singapore from international content providers."

Zhang added that HDTV content is being marketed as a premium offering in Asia/Pacific in the hope of increasing monthly revenues for cable and satellite operators.

It is also hoped that HDTV content will provide terrestrial TV broadcasters with a new weapon in the fight against pay-TV services.