A new survey has found the majority of 18-24 year olds prefer to watch catch-up TV on their lap-tops, rather than use services provided directly by operators.
The research, conducted by YouGov for FirstSource Solutions, which supplies business management services for companies including BSkyB, suggests even fewer of the age group are interested in the ability to set up recordings in advance.
Among the other findings of the survey;
- 54% of 18-24 year olds watch catch up TV via an online player such as iPlayer or 4OD via laptop or standalone computer, compared to 30% of all age groups.
- Only 16% of 18-24 year olds use a catch up application on their television or set top box, such as Virgin On demand, compared to 19% of all age groups.
- Only 9% of 18-24 year olds use digital video recording such as Sky Plus to record programmes to their set top boxes to watch later, compared to 27% of all age groups.
- Only 1% of consumers’ prefer their smartphones to catch up on TV is via an online player such as iPlayer or 4OD. This figure is unchanged among 18-24 year olds.
- Only 3% of consumers prefer their tablets to catch up TV is via an online player such as iPlayer or 4OD. This figure is unchanged among 18-24 year olds.
- Only 2% of UK consumers’ preferred method of catch up TV is a DVD box set or Blu-ray box set. Men are more likely (4%) than women (1%) to watch box sets. People aged 18-24 are slightly more likely (5%) to watch box sets.
What is striking about the survey is that in the examples given the pay-TV operators, Sky and Virgin are largely given as examples in the negative, when a service is not being used. This comes despite more than 50% of TV households choosing to pay for their television content.
Or could it simply be that it is the parents of this younger age group that controls the remote?
After all among 45 to 54s and 55+, the figures for pre-setting a recording remotely is 29 and 31% respectively.
