| MUMBAI:
Consumers globally are growing increasingly disenchanted with their overall television
experience but are nonetheless remaining remarkably loyal to their favorite programmes,
according to results from Accenture’s inaugural Global Broadcast Consumer
Survey.
Accenture conducted the survey to analyse how people in multiple global markets
consume and respond to broadcast content, and how they are adapting to the new
content delivery methods.
The
survey found that although television remains the predominant
mass communications device worldwide, with 97 per cent of
respondents watching TV in a typical week, consumption patterns
vary based on a number of factors including geography, age
and socio-economic status. While some 70 per cent of consumers
watch four or more television programs a week, 71 per cent
of them watch programmes on four or more television channels.
This
channel-hopping demonstrates that consumers are more loyal to the content they
want to watch rather than the branded distribution channel to which they may be
accustomed. This affords an opportunity for content creators, studios and networks
to begin delivering content to consumers on multiple channels and through multiple
devices creating new ways to interact with consumers and entirely new revenue
streams.
The
survey also found that while 83 per cent of the respondents
expressed discontent with watching “live” (e.g.,
broadcast or cable) TV, a third (33 per cent) are still watching
eight or more programmes per week, including 41 per cent of
American and 39 per cent of British consumers. This change
in behavior poses a significant threat to television networks
unless they understand how to deliver content directly to
consumers through new digital channels, the survey found.
David
Wolf, a senior executive with Accenture’s Media and Entertainment practice,
believes that the research suggests that television is rapidly shifting from its
origins as a clearly-identifiable stand-alone medium. “People
are experiencing new consumption opportunities and moving away from traditional,
linear programming,” said Wolf. “And age has become the leading indicator
of these new behavioral preferences with consumers under 35-years-old clearly
the best indicator of these impending changes and future broadcast consumption
patterns. Today’s youth are more dissatisfied with the traditional television
experience and increasingly excited by the availability of new choices.”
Forty six per cent of 18-24-year-olds view content via mobile
devices, but there is considerably less interest among those
55 and older (19 per cent). This dramatic behavioral shift
represents the beginnings of a wave of change that will ultimately
transform the content production and distribution marketplace
worldwide.
“The
under 35-year-old group is more likely to watch content on alternative devices,
more likely to be familiar with On Demand TV, prefers watching content on demand
and is more willing to pay to download content,” Wolf observed.
According
to the survey, consumers have already developed some ideas
about what type of content fits best on which alterative device.
One in four (27 per cent) would enjoy watching full TV episodes
on their PCs, while the same number (27 per cent) would like
to receive public service information; 26 per cent to watch
new content not normally on TV; and 25 per cent content they
themselves create. Fewer would like to receive program highlights
(16 per cent) or shortened versions of TV episodes.
“User-generated
content ranks highly on mobile, reflecting the expanding photo and video capabilities
of mobile handsets and the potential for easy sharing either face-to-face or via
messaging,” said Wolf. Furthermore,
the survey found that more than one in three adults (37 per cent) are willing
to pay on some basis to download TV shows from a digital service, with half preferring
a monthly fee for unlimited downloading and slightly fewer preferring to pay for
a season of a particular show. 33 per cent prefer to pay nothing in return for
watching advertisements within the downloaded programs. The
survey findings underscored the fact that consumers throughout the world today
have more power and control than ever before in terms of what to watch, when to
watch it, and on what device. In today’s digital environment the definition
of what constitutes TV and its intended purpose is getting increasingly blurred,
as ambitious new entrants, channels and new interactive capabilities flood in
from all sides. The
survey demonstrated that different countries and regions have different consumer
consumption behaviors. The overarching trends – and strategies to satisfy
consumer demand -- may be global, but local execution requires local knowledge
and awareness of the rapid changes in consumer tastes, expectations and aspirations.
“What
these geographic findings all underline is that a one-size-fits all approach to
digital services will not work. Industry participants need to ‘think global
and act local.’ It is no coincidence that major content producers are currently
making a series of acquisitions in emerging markets, seeking access to innovation,
talent and content that they can both utilize locally and recycle to developed
and emerging markets worldwide,” said Wolf. Among
the survey’s other key findings:
There are a large number of programmes watched on alternative
devices in a typical week. One in three adults in the eight
countries access programs via an alternative device in a typical
week, with Italy (41 per cent), France (36 per cent) and Spain
the highest (35 per cent), while Brazil is the lowest (17
per cent). Six out of 10 adults said they would enjoy watching
some content via their PCs.
Consumers
are beginning to discern the genres they prefer to watch Live
or On Demand. Nearly one-half (46 per cent) of consumers prefer
to watch sports and news live. Twenty-three per cent of consumers
prefer to watch dramas and situation comedies on demand.
TV
commercials are what respondents disliked most about ‘live’ TV. Commercials
are by far the top complaint (64 per cent), followed by not being able to ‘rewind’
(40 per cent) and not being able to watch programs at the viewer’s convenience
(38 per cent). Much less troublesome are unappealing content (14 per cent), and
being unable to watch programs away from home (eight per cent), to interact (seven
per cent) or to rate programs (seven per cent). | 
