Survey Reports on Impact of Writers Strike

LOS ANGELES, January 17: About 35 percent of Americans have
changed their media consumption habits as a result of the Hollywood writers
strike, according to a report by the consultancy firm Interpret, and 27 percent
are watching less network TV.

The survey also notes that 94 percent of Americans are aware
of the Writers Guild of America strike, and 55 percent are cognizant of the
issues involved. Of that 55 percent, 56 percent support the writers, 7 percent
support the producers and 37 percent don’t support either.

Heavy-TV viewers (watching 21 hours or more a week) have
been most impacted by the strike with 32 percent viewing less network TV. DVDs
have been the biggest beneficiaries, with 43 percent of respondents noting they
are watching more movies because of the strike; 26 percent are reading more and
23 percent are watching more TV shows on DVD.

Interpret also found that if the networks replace first-run
series with reality shows and repeats, nearly half of Americans (46 percent)
say their TV viewing behavior would change.

“Ironically,
the strike makes scripted programming more valuable than ever,” Michael
Dowling, the CEO of Interpret, said. “As top shows disappear from prime time,
viewers may go back and view critically-lauded TV series they missed the first
time around, play more video games or watch more movies on DVD. Interpret’s
past research has demonstrated that consumers’ media habits are already
splintered, and the strike is accelerating those changes.”

Interpret’s survey was conducted online among a
representative sample of 1,013 Americans aged 18-49.

—By Mansha Daswani