Advanced Television

Consumers demand free online content

December 3, 2007

The Olswang Convergence Consumer Survey 2007 has revealed that consumers are demanding more rich media content but are still reluctant to pay. To secure free content consumers are willing to tolerate online advertisements which they would normally go out of their way to avoid. Some are even willing to deliberately break the law to secure free content, while others simply don’t understand the law.

Olswang and YouGov, have conducted a nationally representative independent survey of over 1,539 18-55 year old UK consumers boosted by a further 254 13-17 year olds. The survey discovered that convergence is taking hold of UK households as a large number of homes have networks installed and the computer is becoming a true entertainment device with over 30 per cent of respondents streaming or downloading movie and TV content.

Even greater numbers watch the range of free content that is already available on websites such as YouTube (63 per cent) as well as streaming music (42 per cent) and accessing podcasts (33 per cent). However, people are much less willing to pay for audiovisual content, with free content being consumed by approximately three times as many people as paid content and those not yet consuming also being around three times more interested in free content.

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