9/20/13
Almost nine in 10 Americans (86%) say they tend to watch the same TV channels over and over again, according to Digitalsmiths. Among these repeat viewers, 79% watch 10 channels or fewer regularly. The majority of adults (51%) watch three hours of TV or more per day, but fewer than a third (31%) say they watch three hours of live TV or more (as opposed to programs recorded via DVR or other methods). Most spend little time channel surfing; 72% spend 20 minutes or less per day, and 46% spend less than 10 minutes.
One in three consumers (33%) subscribe to some kind of monthly over-the-top video service, such as Netflix or Hulu Plus. More than one in five (22%) use pay-per-rental services such as iTunes or Redbox kiosks.
Among users of these video services, one in 10 use them because they don’t have cable or satellite service. The top reason for using them is convenience, however.
Finding New Content
More than six in 10 consumers (63%) say they sometimes or always find it frustrating trying to find something to watch on TV, but only 38% have ever used the search function of their cable/satellite provider’s guide. More than one in five (22%) say they’ve decided to watch a program or movie because they saw it mentioned on social networks.
When asked which sources of TV and movie recommendations they consider most useful, consumers are most likely to cite friends and family, according to a global study of TV viewers by Ericsson ConsumerLab. The influence of friend/family recommendations has declined in the past year, however, while that of “new releases” updates has increased slightly.
More than eight in 10 viewers worldwide (83%) watch scheduled (live) TV more than once a week, and 63% stream on-demand and/or time-shifted TV/video this often. Viewership of streaming video has broadened to include at least four in 10 adults across all age groups.
Although quality TV and movie content is still the most important aspect of the viewing experience, flexibility is becoming increasingly important. Nearly half of viewers worldwide cite the ability to choose when they want to watch something as a top priority.
Second Screens
Three-quarters of viewers who own mobile devices (75%) use them while watching TV at least weekly. More than seven in 10 (72%) watch video on a mobile screen (laptop, tablet, or smartphone) at least once a week. The most common second-screen activities performed while watching TV are reading email (63%), using mobile Web or apps to kill time (56%), using mobile Web or apps to find information (49%), and using social networks (40%).
SOURCES: “Q2 2013 Video Discovery Trends Report: Consumer Behavior Across Pay-TV, VOD, OTT, Connected Devices, and Next-Gen Features,” Digitalsmiths, Billy Purser, VP Marketing, 320 Blackwell St., Durham, NC 27701; 919-460-4747; contactus@digitalsmiths.com; www.digitalsmiths.com. Price: Available online at no charge.
“TV and Media: Identifying the Needs of Tomorrow’s Video Consumers,” August 2013, Ericsson ConsumerLab, Anders Erlandsson, Senior Researcher, SE-126 25 Stockholm, Sweden; 011-46-10719-0000; industry.analysts@ericsson.com; www.ericsson.com/consumerlab. Price: Available online at no charge.
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