MRG Conference 2008:Who Wins in the New Age of Television

Universal McCann’s Cate Connolly shared insights from research into what consumers want from TV at Friday morning’s MRG conference.

Despite doom-mongering about the impact of digital video recorders and web 2.0 technology on TV, Connolly argued that the future of television is assured because consumers love TV, but it will need to adapt to their changing requirements.

She explained that they had spoken to industry experts and then undertaken ethnographic research to discover what consumers want from TV so what they believe will sink or swim in the future.

Claire Sowerby went on to explain how they found that TV consumers are not loyal to any platform but they understand that TV programmes are professionally produced with good picture and sound quality – there is no confusion between them and a YouTube clip. TV is more than just a function of viewing and the environment, social experience and personal factors all have a major impact on the experience.

The majority of TV viewing is still through classic, live scheduled programming but recorded TV programmes are second and those that have DVRs, love them. They found catch-up rather than ad avoidance is the major motivator for using DVRs but there is a lot of discontent from consumers about interruptive ad breaks, so the industry needs to think carefully about how it engages with viewers – potentially through ad-funded programming, branded content or pre-rolls.

Looking to the future, Universal McCann believe that media stacking, interactive TV and sensory TV will have a big impact on how TV will be consumed but the television in the living room will remain the entertainment hub of the household. There are great opportunities for TV in the future but it is imperative to understand and listen to consumers.

Further reports from the MRG conference will appear on MediaTel.co.uk’s NewsLine service over the next couple days.

MRG: www.mrg.org.uk