EPGs Will Be A £1bn Industry By 2002, Says Survey

A new report by the Media Intelligence Bulletin (MIB) claims that the electronic programme guides (EPGs) which are to be launched alongside digital television will prove to be key areas of revenue and profit. MIB’s managing editor, Emmett Power, believes that EPGs will dominate digital and web-enhanced television in the same way as ‘portal’ sites like Yahoo! and Excite have come to dominate the internet.

The purpose of EPGs is to allow users to access the programmes and channels they want from a choice of potentially hundreds of channels. A conventional remote control will not be practical, and is even now proving time-consuming as a way of accessing one channel amongst many. The EPG will allow viewers to search for programmes by category and broadcast time thus allowing viewing to be filtered according to preference.

The fact that whoever controls the EPG controls the consumer is slowly dawning on television executives, says MIB. Programmes or channels which are hidden away at the back of the guide may well see their viewing figures ‘dry up to a trickle’.

Furthermore, MIB predicts that the EPGs will sap advertising revenue away from the television programmes themselves. The four million people who are expected to subscribe to digital television by 2002 will all be using an EPG to organise their viewing. The fact that there are only likely to be four or five EPGs (by large broadcasters and set-top box manufacturers) means that this audience is all concentrated in a relatively small space.

The revenue generated by EPGs in 2002 will be £1 billion, predicts MIB. This could draw a significant amount of spend from the television programming sector. Moreover, the relatively small running costs of the EPGs will see their operators reaping substantial profits.

Media Intelligence Bulletin: 01732 461 889