US consumers want their TV anytime, anywhere

More US consumers than ever before plan to watch their favorite TV shows anytime, anywhere using time-shifting technologies such as VOD, PVR and the internet, according to the second annual TV Pulse Survey from US cable operator Comcast.

“Time-shifting has hit the mainstream and is changing the way people watch TV,” said Diana Kerekes, VP of Entertainment Services for Comcast, in a statement. “The results of our ‘TV Pulse Survey’ underscore more consumers are watching their favorite shows when and how they want to watch them.”

While more than 80% of consumers state they regularly watch primetime television and 80% plan to watch it live, consumers are also using time-shifting technologies. More than two-thirds of consumers (62%) have watched primetime TV series through technologies that include VOD, PVR and the internet. Time-shifted viewing is on the rise with 61% using these technologies more than one year ago and 84% using them more than just three years ago.

More and more consumers are using various platforms when watching TV, and this fall, they’re planning to turn to a wide variety of time-shifting technologies. Interestingly, among Comcast customers, On Demand usage for watching TV series this fall is significantly more than the average primetime viewer. Top reasons consumers are using time-shifting technologies include personal schedules (79%) and programming conflicts (63%).

The TV Pulse Survey is an independent nationwide US survey conducted by International Communications Research on behalf of US cable operator Comcast.