TiVo changing viewing behaviour
With the Virgin Media TiVo box hitting 50,000 users, the media owner has released its latest entertainment trends report, revealing the viewing habits of all its digital TV customers.
Looking at TiVo users specifically, some very interesting new viewing behaviour is emerging amongst the early adopters, with programme choice not originating from the EPG, heavy app usage and the relevance of word of mouth social recommendations or marketing campaigns influencing viewing choice.
Below is a summary of a few quick facts from the report.
TiVo Service quick facts:
- 25% of channel views did not originate from the EPG – a marked shift by early adopters in how they find and watch what they want
- Apps were accessed on average 4.5 times a week, and by 79% of all set-top boxes
- Half of the ten most searched for shows were not in BARB’s most watched top fifty – great opportunity for increased viewing for programmes from channels further down the EPG
Top ten search terms:
- The Apprentice
- Camelot
- Doctor Who
- House
- Glee
- EastEnders
- Dexter
- Casualty
- Desperate Housewives
- Fringe
Across Virgin Media’s entire TV subscriber base in the first half of the year, customers made 484 million On Demand views – a 19% increase on the same period of 2010. That year saw 15% higher viewing in the second half, with particularly high viewing in the last three months, which suggests Virgin Media is on track to exceed the predicted one billion On Demand views in 2011.
On Demand quick facts:
- 484 million total On Demand views in H1 2011, 55% of the 2010 total
- 258 million hours watched On Demand in H1 2011, 60% of the 2010 total
- On Demand viewing peaked at 9pm during weekdays
- Comic Relief and Britain’s Got Talent top the seven-day catch-up charts in Q1 and Q2 respectively
Commenting on the report, Cindy Rose, executive director of digital entertainment at Virgin Media said: “TV will never be the same again. Our TiVo Service takes television viewing to another level by seamlessly combining traditional channels and On Demand with the best of the web, making it easier to find and uncover amazing programmes.
“The discovery tools for the next generation will be search, browsable collections and recommendations. There’s such a vast world of great entertainment that it’s exciting our early adopters are already exploring what the TiVo Service can do and we’ll continue to refine and build upon our lead in connected TVs.”