By Michael Grotticelli
According to a new Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) user study, even with the growth of portable digital devices in the market, most viewers still prefer watching television in their homes, reports TV Technology. This cuts across most age groups, the study found, suggesting that the variety of ‘cord cutting’ online services are being used in addition to, rather than instead of, traditional television programming.
“Access to faster internet speeds and dramatic advances in mobile technology have changed the face of video content delivery and consumption,” said Kevin Tillmann, senior analyst, CEA. “Digital content is not necessarily a substitute for traditional content sources, but instead an additional source from which US consumers can quench their insatiable thirst for video content.”
The study titled ‘Video Content Discovery and Purchasing Trends’ looked at video content viewing behaviour, discovery, acquisition and format ownership preferences. It found that while the vast majority (79%) of those who use online devices watch video content from traditional television programming providers such as cable, satellite or fibre-to-the-home, a significant number of viewers are also turning to digital sources.
In addition to traditional television programming, DVD/Blu-ray discs (66%), free video streaming services (47%) and paid video streaming services (37%) are also common sources of video content, the study says.
The research also found that while more than half (53%) of consumers say they skip commercials, traditional television programming is critical to the discovery of new video content, for both movies and TV shows:
– The sources consumers use most frequently to discover new movies are channel surfing (44%), on-screen programme guides (44%), previews at the movie theatre (39%), commercials on TV (39%), and word of mouth (37%).
– The leading ways consumers discover TV shows are channel surfing (50%), on-screen programme guides (47%), TV commercials (47%), word of mouth (34%), and network websites such as NBC.com or CBS.com (27%).
For watching streaming or downloaded video content, laptops (52%), desktop PCs (44%) and HDTVs (40%) are the most commonly used devices. A third of consumers view video content on smartphones (32%) and tablets (31%).
Photo: Consumer Electronics Association
This story also appears on IBC’s Content Everywhere.
