Thinkbox Explores How Live TV & VOD Co-Exist

LONDON: A new study by Thinkbox into how people watch TV outlines why live viewing continues to thrive alongside the rapid growth of VOD, asserting that these methods of consumption satisfy different emotional needs.

Thinkbox says that the six core reasons why people watch TV are to unwind, seek comfort, connect, experience, escape and indulge. The study, Screen Life: TV in Demand, says that the live TV experience satisfies human emotional needs that on-demand viewing alone does not. VOD is better at satisfying personal approaches to TV, such as indulging and escaping, but is less equipped for the social needs of unwinding and seeking comfort. This is supported by findings that for 54 percent of the time we watch live TV we’re with someone else, compared to 30 percent for VOD.

Live TV is still found to be the first port of call for deciding what to watch. Among the research sample that qualified as heavy VOD viewers, 60 percent typically checked what was on the live TV schedule before considering other options.

Young people don’t mind waiting for content either, so that they can share the experience. Connecting was the most important reason to watch TV for those 18 to 24; 28 percent of their viewing was in order to connect, which is almost double the sample average. If given the choice between downloading a new series they liked in one go or waiting to watch it week by week on live TV, 73 percent of those 18 to 24 said they they’d watch week by week.

Neil Mortensen, research and planning director at Thinkbox, said: “This research gets to the heart of why we watch TV and explains the apparent conundrum of why people choose to watch so much live TV when they don’t have to.

“It shows that VOD is a brilliant and treasured new way to enjoy TV, but it can’t give people everything they demand from TV—particularly the highly valued social elements. Live TV is best equipped to meet all of the needs and that is why it will endure, no matter what new platforms emerge. Live TV is our daily food whereas VOD is more like a box of chocolates.“