Seventeen percent watch legitimate online TV services other than iPlayer for at least one hour a week and 9% (admit to) watching illegal online TV for at least one hour a week.
John Enser, media, communications and technology partner at Olswang, said, “Our fourth Convergence Consumer Survey shows that iPlayer has been the catalyst to transform online television from a minority interest into a daily activity, much as iPod and iTunes did for digital music.”
The survey of 1,162 GB consumers, conducted in conjunction with YouGov, also showed that 6% visit an online service daily for catch-up content, with 54% doing so at least weekly and 81% doing so at least once a month.
However, according to a Deloitte report produced for the Media Guardian Edinburgh International Television Festival, just 4% of the UK population consider it “very important” to be able to receive TV via the internet, while 47% still regard it is as not important to them at all (see Internet TV “Has Had Little Impact On British Viewing Habits”).
One of the key demographic segments identified by the Olswang survey was the “Tech Vanguard”, of which more than a third (36%) are watching television content for at least five hours per week on their DVD recorders, digital video recorders (DVRs) and personal video recorders (PVRs) (such as Sky+).
Matthew Phillips, media, communications and technology partner at Olswang, said, “Consumers now have choice and control over what to watch and when. However, this year’s survey confirms there remains a minority of sceptics who reject this model and who may only be persuaded once they have an easy way to watch online content from their sofa.”
The recent IPA Trends in Television Report revealed that overall UK television viewing audience continues to show year-on-year growth, with average hours of television viewing in Q3 3.54 hours, up from 3.38 in 2007 (see UK Television audience continues to grow).
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