84% connection rate for Samsung smart devices

Rovi Corporation and Decipher have released the first results from a two-phase study about Smart TV usage and interactive advertising in the UK, showing that 84% of Samsung Smart TVs and Blu-Ray players are now connected.

The first phase examined connected device familiarity and usage, creating a profile of the connected TV audience and comparing it to the average UK household. The second part of the study will assess the effectiveness of a range of specific interactive campaigns on the platform and is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2012.

Decipher conducted the Smart TV research among more than 500 households that are part of the Rovi UK Smart TV Field Trial Advertising program.

The UK Field Trial includes Samsung Smart TVs and Blu-ray players with the “Smart Hub” content portal, available now in the UK and other countries in Europe. Twentieth Century Fox and Channel 4, along with OMD, the media agency for Channel 4, were the first companies to join the Rovi Smart TV Field Trial in the UK.

Phase One of UK Field Trial Results for Connected Platform Usage:

• 84% of study respondents are connecting their Samsung Smart TV and Blu-ray players and are regularly using the Samsung “Smart Hub” content portal to access IP-delivered content via applications such as BBC iPlayer and LOVEFiLM.
• 85% of those planning to buy an HDTV or Blu-Ray player are more interested in the device because of the Smart Hub feature.
• Usage of Smart Hub stimulates TV viewing, as 49% claim it makes them “watch more TV.”
• The primary reasons given for using the Smart Hub are the convenience of doing multiple tasks on a single screen and accessing on-demand content.
• 58% of study respondents use fewer devices to access the Internet because they can now access applications on their TV.

Phase One of UK Field Trial Results for Connected Device User Profile:

• Owners of connected Samsung TV/Blu-ray players are primarily young, affluent males.
• Connected TV users are super-consumers of media content and own a lot of gadgets (7x more likely to own a tablet than the national average).
• 63% of respondents are Sky Subscribers.
• Device users like advertising that helps them learn about new products and services available.
• Connected users who claim to “always” use the Smart Hub are young, busy professionals. The majority of them have Pay TV, and 1 in 4 have superfast broadband of at least 50 MB or more.
• They are heavy media consumers of both linear and on-demand content via the Smart Hub.

“We are pleased to participate in this pioneering study,” said Nigel Walley, chief executive of Decipher. “These studies will help dispel the misconception that people are not yet connecting or using the connected functionality of their Smart TVs and other devices.”

“The study, combined with the broader Rovi Smart TV Field Trial, is an opportunity for participating brands to explore emerging connected platforms and to evaluate ad effectiveness on the medium,” said Jeff Siegel, senior vice president of worldwide advertising at Rovi Corporation. “We believe the initial data demonstrates the potential of this platform as a new media channel, which consumers are adopting more quickly than many had anticipated.”

The UK study is tailored to the region’s unique needs and ecosystem, yet it also is a key component of Rovi’s broader international research into Smart TV usage. Rovi is running Smart TV Field Trial Advertising programs in Canada and Germany as well, and has already conducted similar research in the US. Rovi recently released the Phase One and Phase Two results of the US Smart TV field study, which showed that 80% of respondents noticed the presence of ads on the connected TV platform, and approximately a third of those who noticed an ad also clicked on it.