Rovi and media research company Decipher have released the first results from a two-phase study about Smart TV usage and interactive advertising in the UK. The first phase examined connected device familiarity and usage, creating a profile of the connected TV audience and comparing it to the average UK household.

“The study, combined with the broader Rovi Smart TV Field Trial, is an opportunity for participating brands to explore emerging connected platforms and to evaluate ad effectiveness on the medium,” said Jeff Siegel, senior vice president of worldwide advertising at Rovi Corporation. “We believe the initial data demonstrates the potential of this platform as a new media channel, which consumers are adopting more quickly than many had anticipated.”

The UK Field Trial includes Samsung Smart TVs and Blu-ray players with the “Smart Hub” content portal, available now in the UK and other countries in Europe. Twentieth Century Fox and Channel 4, along with OMD, the media agency for Channel 4, were the first companies to join the Rovi Smart TV Field Trial in the United Kingdom.

Finding from the study include:
– 84 per cent of study respondents are connecting their Samsung Smart TV and Blu-ray players and are regularly using the Samsung “Smart Hub” content portal to access IP-delivered content via applications such as BBC iPlayer and LOVEFiLM.
– 85% per cent f those planning to buy a HDTV or Blu-Ray player are more interested in the device because of the Smart Hub feature.
– Usage of Smart Hub stimulates TV viewing, as 49 per cent claim it makes them “watch more TV.”
– The primary reasons given for using the Smart Hub are the convenience of doing multiple tasks on a single screen and accessing on-demand content.
– 58 per cent of study respondents use fewer devices to access the Internet because they can now access applications on their TV.

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