While awareness of Canadian broadcasters’ “TV Everywhere” (TVE) offerings is high, a Toronto research firm says low consumer adoption suggests they require further attention and development from the industry.
Charlton Strategic Research presented findings from its online survey of 3,100 Canadians 18+ at last week’s CTAM Canada 2014 Broadcaster Forum, titled “Engaging Canadians with TV Everywhere.”
The survey found while nearly three quarters (75%) of the adult population is aware of one of the TVE products available from Canada’s leading cable companies – Bell’s Bell TV Online had the highest awareness at 44% – only a quarter have actually used one of the services. TVE offerings provide on-the-go access to paid-TV subscribers.
Charlton said the data suggests there is still potential to motivate retention of paid TV service among 80% of Canadians, including those considering shaving or cutting their service. The key, it said, is quick action in the face of rapid adoption of rival over-the-top services such as Netflix.
The study found that consumption of video content across all platforms has increased 4% this year, growing to 28.6 hours per week from 27.4 hours previously, with the majority of consumption (69%) occurring via paid TV.
However, it also found the number of so-called “at risk” subscribers has increased, with 36% of respondents saying they intended to trim channels and 8% saying they plan to cut their paid TV service.
The total number of hours viewed via over-the-top services increased 37% in 2014, with Netflix now present in 35% of Canadian households. Respondents overwhelmingly said they were satisfied with the service and intend to continue subscribing.
Not surprisingly, 68% of 18-24 year-olds said they prefer to view content on non-paid TV, with the “OTT savvy” segment of the population growing to 19% from 13% the previous year.
More than 80% of respondents (83%) indicated they were very or somewhat satisfied with their TVE service, with 77% of paid TV subscribers indicating they would retain their paid TV subscription to keep the product.
TVE services’ ability to sway potential paid TV subscribers is almost nil, however, with only 1% of respondents saying they would be “very likely” to subscribe in the next 12 months in order to access a TVE service.
Perceived benefits of TVE services include the fact they are typically included in paid TV subscriptions at no additional cost, provide viewers the opportunity to watch movies and never have to miss their favourite TV shows.
Potential obstacles include a fear of being charged extra for the service later, buffering issues or delays while watching a show, and privacy concerns.
