The majority of consumers are not prepared to pay to avoid advertising on television, according to a new survey commissioned by Media Planning Group.
The research into “convergence” was carried out to assess how the increasing popularity of personal video recorders (PVR) and video on demand services (VOD) has affected the use of televisions and computers.
The study of 1,000 UK adults, carried out by ICM Direct, shows that the TV and PC still have very separate functions in the home and convergence is limited to certain key activities, such as listening to the radio.
In terms of new technology, almost two thirds of respondents said they would not be prepared to purchase a PVR that would allow them to skip through commercial breaks. 27% of those surveyed said they would pay less than £100 and just 1% were prepared to pay the current retail price of £200 or more.
However, consumers are prepared to pay for the luxury of being able to watch programmes when they want, without being constricted by the schedule. Almost 50% of respondents said they would pay for video on demand, with 10% willing to shell out between £6 and £7, the average cost of the service.
Meanwhile, the convergence of the TV and the PC was found to minimal, with just 2% of respondents claiming to use their computer to watch TV programmes and 3% using it to listen to the radio. In terms of TV, just 9% of respondents said they use it to search for information, with 7% using it to listen to the radio.
However, a further 29% of respondents said they would consider watching TV programmes on their PC and 53% said they would use their TV to search for information in the future.
Commenting on the findings: “Andrew Canter, head of broadcast at Media Planning Group, said: “This study gives us a real insight into how people are currently using their PC and TV and whether they would pay to avoid ads. We are convinced that this work will help us to make a real difference for our clients in planning for the future”.
There are just 65,000 PVR units in UK homes at present and BSkyB is now the only company offering the technology via its Sky+ system (see Ad Avoidance As High As 80% For PVR Users).
