Advanced Television

Orange: Tablets cannibalise TV and PC usage in Europe

November 29, 2011

By Colin Mann

Research commissioned by Orange comparing smartphone and tablet usage suggests that tablets cannibalise, whereas smartphones complement, TV and PC usage.

Orange Exposure 2011 – an annual independent study by TNS into mobile media habits across UK, France, Spain and Poland – reveals some striking differences in behaviour between mobile and tablet usage both inside and outside the home. With tablet data included for the first time, Orange Exposure 2011 allows advertisers to compare mobile and tablet habits side by side, analysing customers’ media journey at each touch point and on each device.

The research revealed that respondents use smartphones to ‘kill time’ – using mobile when they don’t have access to other screens, whereas respondents use tablets to ‘save time’ – using tablets in place of other screens to be more efficient. The Exposure data reveals that habits are markedly different and influenced by factors such as form size. While tablet usage is more akin to PC usage in the UK with 95 per cent of usage at home, in Spain, mid-sized tablets such as Samsung’s Galaxy Tab are being used as navigation devices outside the home, a usage pattern that is closer to that of smartphones. Advertisers must be aware of these nuances when planning their campaigns to understand precisely how to target their customers.

The research also indicates that there is evidence to suggest that tablet devices are actually cannibalising home TV viewing and PC usage. In the UK, 35 per cent of tablet users are watching on demand content, 40 per cent are watching streaming content and 39 per cent are ‘watching TV’ on their tablet. The UK has also seen a 15 per cent decrease in PC usage. Conversely, smartphones complement TV consumption. In France for example 19 per cent of users say they watch more TV as a result of their mobile media usage. The research also highlights how mobile media habits impact other media formats. Mobile has a positive impact on other media and device use; 20 per cent of UK customers feel they browse on the PC more and 15 per cent read more newspapers online as a result of engaging with mobile multimedia.

Bruce Hoang, Group Marketing Director, Orange Advertising Network, said the findings were “quite stark” in their description of how people were using devices. “Clearly the one size fits all approach for digital content across TV, PC, smartphone and tablet does not work and this has significant implications for content producers and advertisers,” he added.

 

 

Categories: Advertising, App, Articles, Consumer Behaviour, Content, Mobile, Portable Media, Research, Targetted