Third of UK population now watching on-demand programming

by Alex Donohue, Brand Republic 16-Jan-08, 09:30

LONDON - More than a third of UK consumers are regularly watching TV on demand, double last year's figure, according to a survey by broadband company Tiscali.

The study, Tiscali TV Trends 2008, found that 37% of UK consumers regularly watched on-demand content, up from 17% in 2006, while 86% of the people who watched TV on demand in 2007 were viewing as many or more programmes than they did 12 months previously.

Meanwhile, 64% of those polled said traditional TV scheduling restricted their viewing habits, while lack of choice and rigid programming schedules were also cited as reasons for people increasing their on-demand viewing.

The report noted that despite the range of web TV services that launched last year, including BBC iPlayer, ITV.com, Joost and 4oD, the majority of viewers (62%) preferred watching on-demand content through their TV.

The results emerged after the BBC revealed yesterday that 3.5m programmes were downloaded using the BBC iPlayer in the two weeks after its launch on Christmas Day. The most popular programmes during the two-week period were 'Doctor Who', 'Top Gear' and 'Extras'.

Tiscali said 58% of people considered catching up on missed programmes as the main reason for using TV on demand, while 49% cited greater flexibility in viewing habits, and 39% listed avoiding schedule clashes.

However, the report noted that the perceived costs and difficulty of on-demand TV were key factors dissuading people from using the medium, with 57% stating it as too expensive, while 39% said they "didn't know they could do it".

However, 79% of UK consumers predicted there would be no TV schedules by 2018, as people embrace flexible TV programming online more.

Neal McCleave, managing director of media services at Tiscali UK, said: "There is a growing demand among the British population for flexibility in their media consumption.

"As broadcasters worry about the fragmentation of the media audience, they need to look to on-demand television which is proving itself capable of retaining audience share and growing viewing times."

The Tiscali study, which was conducted by Tickbox, polled a representative sample of 1,760 adults about their TV online viewing habits in December 2007.

Comments

Fred Perkins - 16/01/2008

Does anyone really believe this type of "research"? Let's see the questions that were asked, and then we can judge whether the conclusions are justified. Just how are this "one-third of the population "actually receiving on-demand ? Certainly not to their TV sets. Who is supplying it?? And just what was the question which prompted the conclusion that "79% of consumers predicted there would be no TV schedules by 2018"? This sounds like the same logic which in the 1990's predicted the demise of newspapers, to be replaced by fax delivery. Please, spare us these "research" findings, based on dubious questions and subsequent cross-correlation... and with little journalistic investigation as to merit. We are watching as much BROADCAST TV as we ever did. Schedules are the primary means of viewer selection. The fact that PVRs (like Sky+) allow us to change WHEN we actually watch them cannot be correlated with the embryo attempts at On-Demand, to predict the demise of broadcast TV. Nor can correlation with web-delivered video (discredited as it is, in the "research" conclusions). On-Demand, however it is delivered, is a linear-cost business model. Broadcast will remain supreme, at least in our lifetime....albeit SUPPLEMENTED by some on-demand.

JOHN MCGEOUGH - 16/01/2008

I have to agree with the previous respondent. This is the most incredible (in the sense of unbelievable) research claim I've come across. 1/3 of the people in our office wouldn't know what to do to with regard watching on-demand Tv, never mind 'regularly' do so. If this does include Sky+ recordings, well that makes the claims not just incredible but slightly underhand as well.

Liam Hamilton - 17/01/2008

If this story is true, what is the future for traditional advertising on Television. Will we see more product placement as a result/ The EU are currently looking at the laws surrounding P/P and should they relax the laws what does anyone think this will do to the quality of British Tv?