Online content still going unpaid

Online video content is watched by half of all PC owners, but the majority are not paying, according to new research from Futuresource Consulting.

Alison Casey, Futuresource’s head of global content, told delegates to the consultancy’s Driving Digital Content conference that more than half of those interviewed for its digital entertainment consumption study had never paid for online movie content.

Between a half and two thirds of respondents, in the US, UK, France and Germany had watched video online, with 14% of those in the UK and 16% in the US doing so on a regular basis.

“Sales of lap-tops and sales of netbooks are growing at a phenomenal rate and this is another driver and 80% of these are connected wirelessly,” said Casey.

The study, which will be updated on a quarterly basis, also looked at TV viewing. It found France to have the highest proportion of viewers that had watched on demand movies, with 89% having paid for such content at least once. Germany was the lowest on 65%.

Where Germany did score was in the payment for sports content, with 40% having paid at least once the highest of the countries surveyed, while France was the lowest on 21%.

TV Shows also proved popular in Germany with 10% having paid for the content, the UK was the lowest of 5% being little surprise, given the availability of free content through he iPlayer.

Casey cautioned on the seemingly high numbers, which translated into an annual buyrate of six to nine titles per year compared to DVD buyrates that were double and sometimes triple.