Advanced Television

Brits don't value unpackaged media

May 18, 2010

An HP survey of over 1000 British consumers, aged between 16 and 60, shows that people of all ages are still wedded to physical formats such as CDs and DVDs. They also currently attach little monetary or emotional value to the digital content they own.

While 86 per cent of the population access some form of digital media, 68 per cent still prefer photographs to be physical rather than digital, 64 per cent for music, 75 per cent for films and a massive 95 per cent for books. While the 16-24 and 25-34 age groups are the most enthusiastic when it comes to digital media, many of them (39 per cent) are still purchasing CDs and DVDs alongside digital formats. The move to subscription based models is even more far out, with 73 per cent of the sample saying that they can never see a time when they'd move to a 100 per cent subscription model for their music and films (such as Spotify).

“In this technologically driven age it is easy to get carried away and think that everybody is embracing digital and leaving physical behind,” says Shaun Hobbs, Home Server Manager for HP PSG UK and Ireland. “Our survey shows that this isn't the case. Britons are on an evolutionary journey with media still being bought on multiple formats and enjoyed using a variety of devices.”

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