blinkbox: Connected Brits tire of Christmas repeats
December 27, 2013
By Colin Mann
Research commissioned by movie and TV streaming service blinkbox suggests that the post-Christmas period could see a surge in on-demand viewing.
The Tesco-owned operation suggests that a whopping number of Brits claim they will be turning to the Internet more than ever this Christmas, with most of us fed up with TV Scrooges serving up old repeats as appetising as cold sprouts.
blinkbox’s findings revealed that 43 per cent of British viewers plan to watch more movies and TV ‘on demand’ than ever, with Boxing Day (December 26) the most popular day for viewing. Over 80 per cent of those asked said they were fed up with the number of repeats on TV over the immediate festive period.
The surge will be fuelled by rampant pre Christmas sales of tablets such as Tesco’s own Hudl, which features apps for the blinkbox entertainment services.
The company notes that with blinkbox sales via tablets up 1,230 per cent in 2013 and sales via games consoles and connected TVs both up over 500 per cent, the way content is being acquired and accessed is changing too.
According to the survey, one in five Brits said they expect to watch less TV with the family because of the range of choice available via new Internet services and connected devices.
“The fight to be the entertainment hub is really heating up and fans of great entertainment have never had it so good,” claimed Michael Comish, Group Digital Officer at Tesco and co-founder of blinkbox, who added that being able to enjoy the latest and greatest movies and TV shows on multiple devices on your own terms really spells the end of the TV turkey at Christmas.
“We have seen the usage of tablets and games consoles for buying and watching movies and TV surge in 2013, building faster as we head towards the festive holidays. We expect demand to peak around Boxing Day with momentum continuing into the post-Christmas weekend,” he explained.
“The great news is that Brits aren’t watching less TV – they are enjoying better content on a variety of screens. For some that means time on their own with their favourite show but for many it’s still a shared experience in front of the TV. The difference is that access to more and more great content on demand will mean less of us are dozing off in front of the screen by 8pm.”
blinkbox are kicking off their biggest ever January sale on December 26, reducing the price of hundreds of movies.
Over eight million tablets were sold in the UK in 2012, with more than half of sales in the last quarter of the year alone, according to research firm CCS Insight. In the first half of 2013, almost six million tablets were sold in the UK and demand is expected to accelerate into Christmas with the explosion in value tablets from retailers including Tesco, whose Android Hudl tablet has sold over 300,000 units.