Pay-TV services are becoming increasingly popular in the Czech Republic, being watched by 56% of viewers aged 15-69.
However, according to Atmedia, their use varies by age, with young TV viewers finding it the most appealing. Commenting on the findings of atmedia index research, Pavel Müller, head of research and marketing at Atmedia, said “while younger TV viewers prefer pay-TV, the opposite is true for older TV viewers”.
The research showed that 62% of TV viewers aged 25-34 are among the customers of one of the pay-TV operators. Almost three in five (55%) TV viewers aged 35-44 also prefer satellite or cable TV or IPTV to terrestrial digital broadcasting. On the other hand, TV viewers over 45 years of age prefer free viewing of TV stations available in terrestrial digital broadcasting. Furthermore, 49% of TV viewers aged 45-54 and 48% aged 55-69 have pay-TV.
The main motivations that lead TV viewers to pay for services include the ability to watch channels that are not available on digital terrestrial, as well as the ability to watch television programmes regardless of the original broadcast time.
Müller added: “Both of these reasons are mentioned most often by TV viewers. While younger viewers mainly mention the possibility of catch-up viewing of TV shows, for older viewers the primary benefit of pay TV is a larger selection of TV channels”.
Catch-up is important specifically to 45% of viewers aged 25-34 and 39% of viewers aged 35-44 who watch TV through one of the pay-TV operators. Among the group of viewers aged 45-54 and 55-69, fewer signed up for this benefit, namely 33% and 29%, respectively. The situation is the opposite for the possibility to watch television channels that are not available in terrestrial digital broadcasting. A rich selection of television channels is important to 37% of viewers aged 45-54 and 45% of viewers aged 55-69. On the other hand, for younger viewers, 33% aged 25-34 and 39% aged 35-44 cited this reason for paying for television.
Müller continued: “Younger viewers are used to new technologies. They want to watch their favourite shows anytime and anywhere, they like to use the possibilities that pay-TV brings them. After all, next to the ability to watch TV shows via catch-up and the ability to choose from multiple TV channels, the third most important benefit of pay-TV was the ability to watch TV on multiple devices at the same time, not only on the TV, but also on a PC, tablet or mobile”.
A relatively large number of younger viewers also appreciate the opportunity to watch programmes from video libraries offered by pay-TV operators. On the other hand, among viewers over 45, the third most frequently cited reason is broadcasting in HD.
