Europeans prefer recorded TV
September 8, 2011
Colin Mann @ IBC
Research findings issued on the eve of the IBC 2011 conference by Parks Associates reveal that consumers in Western Europe value multi-device access to recorded TV programmes over other new video services, including access to live TV.
Given a choice of new TV features, including 3DTV, online video access, and multi-screen services, 47 per cent of broadband households in Western Europe’s largest countries selected viewing recorded programmes on any Internet-connected device as one of their top three features. By comparison, 30 per cent selected live TV as one of their top preferences.
Preference for viewing recorded content on a computer, tablet, smartphone, or other Internet-connected device was consistent across all countries surveyed. The greatest difference was among French households, with 51 per cent selecting recorded content versus 30 per cent picking live TV. Consumers in the UK value both multi-screen services, with 48 per cent choosing recorded TV and 36 per cent selecting live TV, and multi-screen services overall are the least popular in German homes.
“Multiscreen access to live TV programming is available across Europe, but consumers want access to their recorded content,” said Brett Sappington, Director, Research, Parks Associates. “Consumers use PVRs to record their favourite shows, effectively creating a personalised TV playlist.”