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Tag: viewing-habits

  • Motorola Research Reveals New TV Viewing Habits

    Paid-for television content – whether through cable, satellite or the internet – is preferred over free-to-air services – even in markets where free programming is more readily available, according to global research from Motorola Mobility.

    Motorola Mobility’s Global 2010 Media Engagement Barometer – an independent global study of video-consumption habits among 7,500 consumers in 13 markets by research agency Vanson Bourne – shows that while free-to-air services are available to 67 percent of global viewers, compared to 57 percent for paid-for services, the most preferred TV services are subscription only.

    The research also shows that social media is changing viewing experiences. Forty-two percent of viewers globally have had an email conversation, engaged in an instant message chat or used a social network to discuss a program or video while they were watching it. Of this group, 22 percent said that social-media multi-tasking is a regular part of their viewing experience and 61 percent would be prepared to pay more for a service that offered these capabilities.

    The future looks bright for high-definition television products and services worldwide. Of viewers surveyed, 75 percent either own or plan to own an HD television in the next 18 months and 25 percent are expected to upgrade their TVs to include 3D in the same timeframe.

    “The research clearly shows a changing television landscape, one where subscription services are becoming mainstream, augmented by social activities revolving around Internet chat and networking channels,” said Bill Ogle, chief marketing officer, Motorola Mobility. “As we advance further into the Internet Era of TV, the ability for service providers to differentiate their offers will become even more crucial as consumers look for extra value from their subscriptions. The good news is that, based on these findings, consumers are willing to pay for the services providing the value.”

    Though the TV is still central in most homes, viewing habits have evolved alongside consumer expectations of where content is consumed. Just over two-thirds of the sample said it was either quite or very important to be able to access free content on devices other than the main television set in the home; that compared to only 39 percent when asked a similar question for subscription content. This suggests the majority of paid-for content is consumed on one device (the TV) and will remain so for the foreseeable future.

    A quarter of respondents said it is important to be able to access free content when out and about; this is even truer in China where 49 percent of respondents said this sort of access is very important.

    “The findings suggest that the huge increase in the availability of video content is leading to viewers tiering their viewing habits in terms of preference, notionally based around payment,” Ogle said. “Yes, they’re watching content on laptops and other devices, but they are still staying loyal to the television set. This is a powerful message for the service providers. Stickiness does exist, providing all parts of the offering are attractive to subscribers.”

    Community

    China, the United Arab Emirates and Russia are the most enthusiastic when it comes to integrating social media into their viewing habits. The Japanese, Germans and viewers in the Nordics are the least likely to chat, use instant messaging or a platform like Twitter or Facebook® to discuss a program or video while they are watching it. According to the study, 84 percent of Japanese viewers have never undertaken such an activity. Globally, however, 58 percent of people who have used social media during a TV program would change their service provider if this was offered as an integrated service.

    Context

    Shopping via television is of interest to 42 percent of viewers globally, followed by chat (30 percent) and updating a social media site (27 percent). Being able to use micro-blogging platform Twitter came in lowest with only 17 percent.

    One in five respondents would be interested in a recommendation engine that tracked viewing habits and suggested content based on viewer preference in addition to popular content their friends are watching. There is also interest in a device and service that would allow users to channel all of their digital media (films, photos, music, etc.) through the television set. Viewers also want to troubleshoot issues, giving service providers an opportunity to offer enhanced services.

    The content diet

    The average amount of hours spent watching television and video content per week is 17. North America and Japanese viewers watch the most (21 hours each). South Koreans watch the least (13 hours). The average daily video diet consists primarily of scheduled broadcast content (both free and subscription), although 34 percent watch an equal mix of scheduled content, Internet and on-demand services, and pre-recorded content.

    “The research clearly shows a diverse market. While there are definite trends emerging, each region has its own challenges and opportunities thanks to cultural, technological and economic factors,” Ogle said. “Service providers need to develop a keen understanding of their customers’ needs in each market and be agile enough to roll out services that meet specific requirements and desires. This means having the content and delivery platforms in place to react to customer demand, rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach.”

  • US Transition to Digital TV Alters Viewing Behavior


    This Friday sees US television going 100 per cent digital, a move that has impacted on over a quarter of households which have had to invest in new TV sets and/or services to prepare for the June 12th changeover.

    However, researchers say that the switch to digital has changed traditional viewing habits.

    David Tice, vice president of Knowledge Networks, said its report, How People Use HDTV 2009, will show that one-third of those with high-definition TV reception always check their HD channels first when channel surfing or checking for a program.

    He said the digital transition is bringing more channels – sometimes dozens more – into nearly one-quarter of US TV households.

    This is vastly expanding the numbers of programs and advertisements they can be exposed to.

    "And our research has shown that having high-definition TV (HDTV) reception changes viewing behavior, prompting many people to check HD channels first when they sit down to watch TV," he said.

    "The result is that the digital transition as a whole seems destined to alter long-standing TV behaviors in many US homes."

    The report will also indicate that those with HDTV reception are more selective about what they watch and more likely to plan viewing in advance. KN will be releasing the new HDTV report in July.

    A separate report from Knowledge Networks has found that 26 per cent of US homes invested in new TV sets and/or services in the past year to prepare for the June 12th changeover.

    The data, collected from February to April this year, shows that among TV households:

    • 18 per cent said they had bought a digital converter to adapt a standard definition set to receive digital signals
    • 8 per cent bought a digital or HDTV set specifically in preparation for the transition
    • 5 per cent started a new subscription to a pay television service such as cable or satellite TV, also specifically in anticipation of the switch to digital

    (There is some overlap among the above groups; the net value is 26 per cent)

    Awareness of the transition has increased to 91 per cent of all TV homes, up from 85 per cent in 2008 and 45 per cent in 2007. All subgroups – whether by householder age, race, ethnicity, or reception type – report awareness over 90 per cent.

    Among the 18 per cent of TV homes that bought a digital converter, most (80 per cent) utilized the government coupon program. In homes that still have only broadcast reception, three times as many (53 per cent) report they bought a digital converter in the past year, and 93 per cent of those used the coupon program.

    The number of sets per home relying on regular broadcast reception averaged 0.48 in the new survey; this is almost two-thirds less compared with KN’s spring 2006 survey, when the average was 1.32.

    The report said that between their awareness of the transition and evidence of adaptation to this new broadcast standard, it is clear Americans have received the message about the transition loud and clear.

  • Japan to use audience rating system to discover IPTV programme preferences

    A viewer rating system developed by Oki Electric Industry is to be used in Japan to collect information on the viewing habits of IPTV users.
    Existing ground-based broadcasting systems have the means to gather viewership data, such as user preference and viewer history.
    Broadcasting companies say this information is important in enabling them to improve services.
    However, until now there has been are no equivalent user information collection functions for IPTV services.
    OKI’s IPTV Audience Rating Information System allows service providers, with the authorisation of users, to obtain information about when and which channel and programs the users watched.
    The system will collect the viewership data in the form of an “audience rating library” on the user’s device, which will then be encrypted, sent to and registered in the database server at the IPTV distribution centre.
    This information will then be printed out as viewership reports which service providers can offer to programme producers.
    Masa Saito, general manager of IP Systems Division at OKI, said the system, which uses the company’s eVideo technology, would ensure the efficient delivery of high quality video over IP networks.
    “We have been proposing the technology to handle audience rating information to ASTAP, Asia’s communication standard organisation and FG-IPTV in ITU, the UN’s agency for information and communication technologies, as we believe open standards are important in improving IPTV service and technologies,” he said.
    “We will continue our activities within IPTV-GSI, the IPTV standardisation initiative, to promote international standardization to enrich IPTV services.”
    Telecom carriers in Japan are expected to increase their IPTV service provisioning with the start of next-generation network (NGN) services, and as the ITU works on setting international standards.