Online TV Viewing 'Won't Be Driven By Faster Broadband'

The prospect of faster broadband connections will not be the catalyst for increased TV viewing online, according to a survey to be published by Deloitte/YouGov on behalf of the Media Guardian Edinburgh International Television Festival, which takes place between August 28 - 30 August 2009.
Of the 2,123 viewers polled, 53% said they would not watch more online video clips or TV programmes even with a faster and more reliable internet connection and 29% felt there was little importance in being able to watch television using an online service. As many as 54% of viewers surf the internet while watching television, with 74% of 18-24-year-olds multi-tasking compared with 40% of 55+. Some 81% of viewers use personal emails while watching TV.TV report
Younger audiences are more likely to watch TV online, but a surprisingly high percentage (43%) of 18-24-year-olds said they would not watch more TV online with faster broadband speeds. Most viewers found online content too difficult to access or did not know how to. A large proportion (71%) of those who sometimes watch television via the internet do so to catch up on programmes they've previously missed on television.
When asked to list all of the genres of video clips viewers watched online, respondents voted news and comedy as most popular, each watched by 34%, followed by music (30%) documentaries/factual (23%) and sports (23%). The least popular clips are reality TV shows and factual entertainment, each watched by only 7% of the sample.
Online video is now more synonymous with traditional broadcasters than with online pure-plays. Viewers' awareness (83%) of broadcasters' on-demand sites (such as iPlayer, itv.com, 4OD) is now greater than that for either YouTube (76%) or iTunes (64%).
James Bates, Media & Telecoms Partner at Deloitte, said: "Stimulating investment in a next generation broadband infrastructure for Britain has been at the heart of the Digital Britain debate. However, as this survey shows, making high-speed broadband access widely available to consumers is no guarantee that it will be taken up.
"Demand and willingness to pay for services varies significantly, and there is little evidence that the mass market is prepared to pay substantially more for it.
"One of the strongest advocates for online television may well be traditional television companies.
"In an ironic twist to earlier expectations, broadcasters and independent producers may, in the medium-term, be those that benefit most from online television. Broadcasters may increasingly use online television to support their core, traditional objective of maximising broadcast audience size and quality.
"Online clips, distributed via their own websites as well as third party platforms, are likely to be used to spark interest in their shows. Online catch-up can enable viewers that missed a broadcast episode to keep up with a storyline and remain interested in a series," he said.
(KMcA/BMcC)