Britons Could Cut Back On Pay-TV Services

Nearly a quarter of pay-TV customers in Britain are considering cutting back or getting rid of their subscription packages as worries about the financial crisis increase.

The Continental Research survey, which questioned 1,022 people, found that 24% of pay-TV customers surveyed said they planned to reduce the amount they spent on services such sports channels over the next year.

The study, TV 3.0: The Digital and Internet TV Report, also found that 6% of TV viewers had decided not to buy additional services because of the looming recession.

However, Freeview could see its popularity rise, with 13% of respondents planning to get it in the next year, while 15% said they already had it.

Tim Barber, associate director at Continental Research, said: “One of the truisms about how consumers respond to a challenging economy is that they go out less and therefore by implication spend more time at home watching TV.

“Our research suggests Freeview is going to benefit from consumer worries about the credit crunch at the expense of some of the paid-for services.”

A recent survey carried out by G2 Data Dynamics saw nearly a quarter (23%) of respondents say they would stop subscription TV services (see Financial Crisis Could See Consumer Cutbacks).

Continental Research: www.continentalresearch.com