Internet TV is set to overtake free UK catch up over Christmas 2015, according to a Paywizard survey.
The study, named Research Now, found that 39% of consumers are planning to use paid Internet TV services during the festive season. 19% of the UK are already using subscription TV services like Amazon Prime, Netflix and NOW TV, while an additional 20% intend to sign up to these services for Christmas.
These additional signups may tip the balance of UK consumers favouring paid streaming services over free ones such as BBC iPlayer, All 4 and ITV Player, which 38% of consumers currently use.
“The UK audience is well served with TV choices, ranging from traditional broadcasters and pay TV providers to newer, high quality on-demand services. Yet the appetite for more content is only getting bigger, giving international services like Netflix and home grown rivals like NOW TV a foothold in the market that may ultimately disrupt the status quo,” said Bhavesh Vaghela, chief marketing officer at Paywizard.
“Our survey highlights that people are willing to pay to get what they want, but only if services can prove that their deal is worth it. For the industry, winning new customers may not necessarily mean that they’re there to stay, and this study shows why areas like brilliant service quality and support are essential parts of the consumer experience.”
Despite rapidly growing interest in paid services, the survey shows that the UK’s Internet TV subscribers are not intending to stick around, with 1 in 5 planning to end subscriptions in January and half (49%) of all subscribers planning to leave within 6 months. The survey also found that free catch up TV is still popular with UK audiences, who are four times more likely than Germans or Americans to enjoy services like BBC iPlayer, ITV player and others.
