London Live, the new channel dedicated to the capital will launch today, but research by TV playout specialists OASYS reveals that Londoners are the least likely to watch a local TV channel in the UK, with only 44% likely to do so.
OASYS polled a representative sample of the UK population in conjunction with YouGov and found that knowledge about the arrival of local TV is still relatively low, although appetite for such a service exists. Three quarters of the British public don’t know that local TV is launching across the UK, but when told about the service, only 37% would actively turn off these channels.
Only 17% of women know about local TV’s imminent arrival compared to a third of men, yet women are more likely to watch the service with 34% of women unlikely to watch compared to 39% of men. The new channels also look likely to attract older audiences, with local TV most likely be watched by the 55 and overs, with 58% from this age bracket likely to do so. It is least likely to be watched by those aged between 18 and 24, with just 38% planning to do so.
“Local TV is in the midst of a five year build-up programme to see if it can succeed where regional TV failed,” commented Mark Errington, CEO, OASYS. “With channels including Mustard TV catering for Norwich and Estuary TV catering for Grimsby already live, the arrival of London Live as a channel for the nation’s capital will perhaps be local TV’s biggest test to date. There are a number of technologies and services being used to launch the channels, however, the key to success will lie in developing engaged communities around these channels with exciting content and new business models that make them commercially sustainable. The approach that London Live has taken with cross media promotions and a lively looking programme line up will hopefully help them to prove our survey wrong.”
