Nearly half of UK consumers view OTT content

Consumers in the UK are changing the way they view TV and video content by increasingly taking control of how, when, and where they view it, according to a new survey released by Accenture.

About half (48%) of consumers surveyed in Accenture’s Pulse of Media Consumer Survey are viewing over-the-top (OTT) video through a broadband connection on their TVs in addition to the content they traditionally watch via cable or satellite. US consumers were ahead slightly, with 50% of Americans surveyed said they are viewing OTT content.

“We are seeing a seismic shift in consumer viewing habits,” said Robin Murdoch, a managing director in Accenture’s Media & Entertainment industry group. “The connected consumer is now comfortable viewing TV shows and video on a variety of screens, as well as sharing opinions of that content via social channels or recommendation engines.”

Not surprisingly, the survey found younger viewers are leading the way in using these new technologies to view video content.

75% of UK consumers between the ages of 18 and 24 watch some OTT. In the US 27% of those surveyed subscribe to OTT services, such as Netflix Instant Streaming, compared with 28% to satellite.

In the UK, 26% of those surveyed subscribe to or access OTT services like Netflix, LOVEFiLM, iPlayer, Sky Go and Now TV from Sky, compared with 30% to satellite.

The research also discovered that 9% of UK consumers subscribe to gaming console-based video delivery services and 3% subscribe to set-top subscription services such as Apple TV, Boxee or Google TV.

Read more information about Accenture’s Pulse of Media Consumer Survey.