Consumers Switch Off To Ads On BBC Channels
Support for the BBC’s public funding system has received a boost after just 17% of consumers said they wouldn’t object to seeing advertising on the Corporation’s channels, according to the latest research from Key Note.
The study shows that women are slightly more opposed to an advertising friendly BBC than men, while just 9% of the lucrative 24 to 35 year-old age group said they wouldn’t object to seeing commercials on BBC channels.
Consumers aged between 45 and 54 were least opposed to abolishing the ad-free sanctity of the BBC, with just 24% objecting to the idea of ads appearing on the BBC’s flagship terrestrial, or recently launched digital channels.
The findings will be welcomed by the BBC, which faces a “comprehensive review” to win the renewal of its charter in 2006 (see Granada Chairman Calls For Slice Of BBC Licence Fee). The Corporation has been criticised recently for misusing its licence fee and straying from its public service remit in the pursuit of ratings (see Advertisers Slam BBC As TV Talent Shows Go Head To Head).
The research also shows that almost a quarter of those in the lucrative AB demographic believe that advertising helps television companies to make good programmes. Women were less likely to agree than men and just 17% of those surveyed felt advertising was necessary to support programme makers.
AB households prefer to tape programmes in order to fast forward through commercial breaks and women were found to be more likely than men to skip through the ads. The study suggests they could be more susceptible to the pressure of being targeted by advertisers.
Half of 15 to 24 year-olds agreed that ads were a good way of finding out about new products and services and 42% of this age group had bought something in the past six months as a result of seeing an ad, compared to 32% of those in the 25 to 34 age group.
Almost a third of those questioned believed that ads were entertaining, but just a quarter of those that took part in the survey believed that TV commercials in the UK were better quality than those in other countries.
Recent research from Media Planning Group showed that the majority of consumers are not prepared to pay to avoid advertising on television, but are prepared to pay for the luxury of being able to watch programmes when they want, without being constricted by the schedule (see Viewers Not Interested In Paying To Avoid TV Commercials).
Key Note: 0208 481 8750 www.keynote.co.uk
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