Thinkbox Report: On-Demand Supports Live TV Viewing

LONDON: Thinkbox, the marketing body for commercial TV in the U.K., has found that 89 percent of on-demand TV usage is to catch up with linear TV viewing, itself up 14 percent since 2008.

Catch-up services provided by broadcasters are the most popular on-demand destination, the report notes, with viewers using ITV Player, 4oD, Sky Player and BBC iPlayer is to avoid falling behind with the linear TV schedules. On-demand viewing is seen as "back-up" viewing, the report continues. The amount of on-demand usage to discover new shows, meanwhile, has shrunk from 22 percent in 2008 to 11 percent this year. There has been a 25-percent jump in the number of people claiming to watch TV on demand, up from 64 percent in 2008 to 80 percent of digital-enabled homes.

Of the respondents surveyed, 71 percent claim to use the BBC iPlayer, 39 percent watch ITV Player, 36 percent watch 4oD and 12 percent watch Sky Player. Meanwhile, 33 percent say they watch TV shows on YouTube.

The survey also found that 60 percent of people watch TV and simultaneously go online at least two to three times a week, while 37 percent do so every day. Moreover, 52 percent watch TV and shop online, and 44 percent use Facebook and Twitter while viewing.

“Live, linear TV is benefitting from on-demand TV services and social media," said David Brennan, research and strategy director at Thinkbox. "The expanding TV world is actually consolidating viewing around the linear schedules people have always had. The internet has given viewers the ability to catch up with missed shows, to interact in real time via social media, and to even transact while watching. These things have combined to make live TV viewing essential. There is now no reason to miss enjoying the shared experience of TV and this benefits viewers and advertisers.”