An annual study for Motorola Mobility has identified a strong appetite from the public towards mobile TV, social TV, connected home and personal cloud services.
The Media Engagement Barometer, a study of video consumption habits among 9,000 consumers in 16 markets, showed TV and video consumption steady at an average of 15 hours per week worldwide. However, the rise of the personal video recorder is shifting how and when consumers are watching their favourite shows.
This year, three times as many US consumers are watching on-demand TV – 18 per cent in 2011 compared to 5 per cent last year. The UK had a similar increase with 15 per cent of consumers watching on-demand TV in 2011 compared to 8 per cent in 2010.
Social TV is a clearly emerging trend with 43 per cent preferring to access social TV using a PC smartphone or tablet as opposed to the 40 per cent that currently prefer the TV.
“If you factor in that most tablets never leave the house, it shows they are becoming consumption devices,” Tom Satchwell, EMEA & APAC marketing Director [Home business division, Motorola Mobility told Broadband TV News. “Consumers want to be able to watch on different screens and the devices need to be smart and connected both inside and outside the home.” He said the consumer was looking for simplicity and practicality within the devices.
Using social networks to comment on a show is the preferred social TV service for 89 per cent of respondents in Germany, 87 per cent in the US and 60 per cent in South Korea.
Satchwell pointed to the overlap between television viewing and using the new connected devices, as well as the reclaiming of downtime, such as waiting for a bus or train, where connectivity was not even possible a few years ago
Respondents in Russia (55 per cent) and the US (34 per cent) said they would prefer a social TV service that links through to sites to buy products featured on the program, while only 23 per cent of respondents in Germany preferred this type of service.
Mobile TV is also emerging as a new reality, though typically this is for viewing cloud-based services, or a show that has previously been downloaded rather than a broadcast service.
