Advanced Television

France: 6 in 10 still prefer linear TV

November 10, 2016

From Pascale Paoli-Lebailly in Paris

A study entitled The French and their Television by the NPA consulting company shows that six out of 10 French viewers still prefer linear TV over replay, whilst four out of 10 now want to be less dependent on live TV and watch on demand, whenever they want.

While 57 per cent of French viewers still watch live TV regularly, 35 per cent are turning more and more towards catch-up OTT TV, and 8 per cent to SVoD platforms such as Netflix. This growth is much more apparent in young people as 89 per cent of 15-24 year olds say they like catch-up TV. Additionally, 84 per cent say they are multiscreen users, and 35 per cent like to browse the web while watching TV.

The study shows that the ‘start over’ function, that allows viewers to watch a show from the beginning after it has already started, is growing in popularity amongst French catch-up TV users.  Also, it’s a case of quality over quantity for French viewers, with the majority citing a preference for “Better TV” over “More TV”, and 25 per cent say they want to see popular TV shows on the same date they are released internationally.

Seventy-six per cent of French viewers think TV still has a bright future, and two-thirds add that it is still able to create good family or friendly experiences. The most preferred content is films, news and TV series.

Besides catch-up TV and multiscreen viewing, HD and UHD are seen by the French as other innovations key to the evolution of TV. 

Categories: Articles, Broadcast, Consumer Behaviour, OTT, OTT, Research, VOD