Accenture Releases Consumer Broadcast Survey

NEW YORK: Surveying 14,000 consumers in 13 countries, Accenture has found that people are watching more content on a greater number of platforms than they were a year ago, and are more willing to pay for programming via subscription services.

The results of Accenture’s second annual Global Broadcast Consumer Survey point to the increasing fragmentation of the traditional viewing experience. Accenture reveals that 40 percent of respondents watch six or more channels, up from 35 percent last year, and 39 percent watch eight or more programs a week, up from 33 percent last year. Plus, 74 percent indicated they would watch TV on a PC, versus just 61 percent last year, and 45 percent said they would watch on mobile devices, up from 32 percent last year.

Accenture also founded a notable difference in consumption between developed and maturing markets. For example, respondents in Mexico, Brazil and Malaysia were nearly three times as likely as those in the U.S., Germany and the U.K., to express interest in watching television content on mobile phones.

“Consumers are making choices based on what they’ve tried, liked and rejected and are now selecting content and its delivery platforms,” said David Wolf, a senior executive with Accenture’s Media & Entertainment practice. “If today’s content services don’t meet consumer expectations, it will be that much harder for providers to sell to them later, even when services improve. Providers face an urgent need to capture consumer loyalty now—and respond to changing consumption habits—or face playing catch-up against other content delivery choices. The modes of consumption that provide an alternative to the traditional TV experience are becoming part of everyday life rather than the occasional novelty. Consequently, providers in this evolving market must drive the consumer experience by offering the right type of content via the right device for a particular market.”

Another key finding from the Accenture survey is that consumers remain loyal to their favorite shows; some 73 percent of respondents said they watch some shows on more than one channel. Respondents also indicated that it is more challenging today to discover new shows. Consumers are still using traditional means to find content they would like to watch, including commercials (40 percent), channel surfing (33 percent), recommendations from friends and family (30 percent) and TV listings (28 percent).

In spite of the recession, consumers are willing to pay for content; 49 percent of respondents indicated a willingness to pay for digital service programming, up from 37 percent in last year’s survey. However, 40 percent said they would prefer to watch ads in exchange for free content.

With paid-for programming, the subscription model was the preferred one, over pay to play. Paying a fee for unlimited programming was selected by 25 percent of respondents, while pay-per-episode only scored 12 percent of respondents or pay-per-season 9 percent. Younger consumers are more willing to pay for content than older consumers are (60 percent for respondents younger than 25 versus 38 percent for those 55 and older). Accenture says that subscription service content appears the most resilient to the economy. “This underscores the recession-resistant nature of subscription models even in today’s tough economic climate,” Wolf said.

However, respondents did indicate that less would be spent on DVD sales, on-demand video and mobile phone content.