YouGov’s first Content on Demand study has found that nearly half (48%) of the online population in the UK have used digital catch-up services in the last three months.
The most popular were BBC iPlayer (56%), followed by YouTube (9%), Virgin TiVo (6%) and Sky Sports (6%).
On the other hand, the study, which assesses the market every six months, has found that the potential new audience for content on demand services is limited.
Indeed, of those who currently do not use catch-up, 79% are unlikely to access catch-up TV in the next 12 months, with only 7% saying will do so.
The study also found that young internet users, aged 12-15, were consistently more likely to have shared and downloaded unauthorized content and less likely to understand the consequences of accessing content illegally. Furthermore, the study found that awareness and familiarity for the cloud-based licensing system UltraViolet is low, with only 15% of the 3,600 respondents having heard of it.
Commenting on the study, Shaun Austin, associate editor for media consulting at YouGov, said:
“Among converts there is clearly a huge appetite for content on-demand services in the UK. However, those who don’t currently access content have a limited interest in doing so in the future. Therefore, the focus for digital content providers needs to be on working out ways to get the most out of the existing current user base rather than expanding into new audiences.
“As newspaper paywalls have shown, this will not be easy, especially when commercial rivals have to face-off against the dominant free-to-view BBC iPlayer. Indeed, the popularity of iPlayer and YouTube demonstrate that the services that are used most are usually the services that are free. For providers looking to grow their businesses the challenge will be convincing current users that they offer content worth paying for. Providers should look towards services like Spotify to see how it can be done.”
He added: “The findings from our youth sample should set off alarm bells for providers. This emerging cohort of consumers is clearly used to enjoying content for free, and so for companies hoping to convert current users into paying customers this poses a serious challenge. Initiatives such as UltraViolet offer hope to content providers in this area as consumers who have used it like it. It is now up to the industry to work together to move this into the mass market.”