Smart TV apps company Forno found that the key to the lucrative European adult content market was understanding the evolving viewing habits of its consumers.
The company commissioned research an internet-based survey of a representative sample of the German, French and UK populations, split by age, region of each country and gender.
“We wanted to see past commonly held beliefs about who watches porn and get a true understanding of people’s viewing preferences,”’ said marketing director Matthew Rahman.
“Our research showed not only a much wider acceptance of porn than previously thought, but also that people are more likely to watch porn if it’s available in a secure environment, such as on their TV at home.”
The survey looked at how often and where porn was viewed; whether or not it was a social experience; opinions on paying for porn; perceptions of quality of internet-viewed content; and how often viewers had technical problems caused by looking at porn online.
The survey threw up some surprises. “The peak age period for viewing porn appears to be older than many people assume,’ according top Rahman. “The peak age for viewers who declared viewing porn was of ‘extreme and high importance’ is 26 to 35 years old, while 18 to 25 year olds thought it was least important. That’s really interesting as it suggests a generational shift in the significance of pornography.”
While there are differences between viewing habits in each country Forno looked at, the overall picture suggested porn consumption was widespread in every market.
However, the survey found that British respondents are most likely to use pornography. They are also more likely to be watching pornography on a regular basis (weekly or more often) than users in Germany or France.
British viewers are the least sociable when watching porn, with three-quarters watching it on their own. They are also the most tech savvy when it comes to watching porn: they access porn in the widest variety of ways, e.g. on smartphones and tablets.
By contrast, the survey showed that the Germans are the most sociable: 22% watch with friends and 40% with their partner; only half watch alone. German viewers are most likely to watch porn outside the home.
“Another recent survey found 64% of men watch porn with their partners, so reaching them through their main entertainment system is an important route to the end-user,” said Rahman.
“With smart TVs, viewers are guaranteed a safe and secure experience, free from the sort of virus problems associated with online adult content.”
Forno, which is free to register and provides TV viewers with more than 100,000 films from the world’s best content providers, is one of the first adult content-orientated services specifically for Smart TVs.
