Advanced Television

NATPE, CEA continue viewing research project

November 19, 2014

By Colin Mann

NATPE||Content First and the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) have for a second consecutive year jointly commissioned a consumer research study, this time to gather insight into the content discovery process and alternatives to live TV viewing. Findings from the two-phase study will be presented in two co-branded research reports at the 2015 International CES and NATPE||Miami in January 2015 with each presentation followed by a panel discussion of senior executives from the content and consumer electronics industries.

The research is being conducted by third-party market research company E-Poll Market Research. It is designed to evaluate the TV content distribution landscape and the dynamics at play against the background of exploding consumer choices.

“The question of how and where people are discovering content – on any device – is one that we need to gain a better understanding of as an industry,” commented NATPE President and CEO Rod Perth. “Viewers enjoy thousands of choices, but finding and marketing new programmes is incredibly difficult. This research study will reveal fresh guidance on the how and why of viewer discovery.”

”Innovations in consumer technology have provided consumers with a multitude of choices in how, when, where they watch and learn about TV programmes,” noted CEA President and CEO Gary Shapiro. “Having a more detailed understanding of how consumers use these technologies will help guide the next generation of innovation.”

The quantitative first phase of the study, conducted online among regular consumers of TV, focuses on TV content discovery and the changing channels of distribution. This includes an exploration of the attitudes, usage and benefits of alternative platforms for TV content consumption – such as smartphones, tablets and laptops – and sources of TV content viewing – such as SVoD, VoD, TV Everywhere, DVR and other OTT Networks and their impact on overall viewing behaviour. The goal for this portion is to identify key steps in the content discovery process, including how consumers typically find out about new television content, how they select new content to sample, and what their attitudes and expectations are for new programming by distribution channel.

The qualitative second phase of the study focuses on the TV content discovery and selection process. This portion aims to track content exposure, selection and viewing behaviour of several groups of TV content consumers daily, over the course of one week. Their feedback will lend additional context and depth to the quantitative findings. Information will be gathered on the shows they watch and where they watch them, which shows they plan to check out and why, which shows they talk about, which shows they are exposed to on social media, their expectations for new programs, and more.

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