Television Everywhere audiences are on the rise

A new report has been released today that captures the adaptation and evolution of television across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

The Rise of the Television Everywhere Audience, a survey launched by Discovery Networks in conjunction with The Future Foundation, surveyed TV viewers across Central Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa (CEEMA) as it set out to explore how television is adapting, evolving and growing to accommodate modern viewing behaviours.

5,000 CEEMA TV viewers were surveyed and interviews were conducted with experts in the industry, revealing that the demand for catch-up TV is growing, as well as viewers showing an increased interest in ‘Social TV’, despite reservations about privacy.

The survey showed that across CEEMA, 52% of viewers have watched television online over the last 6 months, with TV on Demand viewing at 40%.

The research further revealed the rising use of smartphones as a second screening platform, with 21% of viewers in Turkey saying that they watched live TV via their mobile devices, and 15% admitting to using their smartphones for video-on-demand purposes, ahead of the average CEEMA figures of 12% and 11%, respectively.

However, second screening doesn’t stop at using smartphone devices as television platforms. Two out of three people said that they liked to look up information online about a programme they were watching, with just over one third saying that they talked about the programmes they were watching via social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter.

“It’s an incredibly exciting time for the TV industry and viewers who are relishing the greater freedom they have to access and interact with content across multi-screens and social media,” said Caleb Weinstein, SVP and GM Distribution, Discovery Networks EMEA.

“This study shows people are watching more linear TV than ever before and how traditional TV viewing is being supplemented and enriched with new audience behaviours across CEEMEA markets.”