Report: Brits Expected to Reduce Spending on Pay TV

LONDON, October 23: A new
Continental Research study reports that 18 percent of Britons will lower the
amount they spend on TV channels in the next year, and 6 percent have said they
won’t sign up for additional services due to the economic slowdown.

The online survey of 1,022
people also revealed that 13 percent of respondents indicated a plan to sign up
for Freeview in the next 12 months, while the same number revealed that they
will switch to a cheaper package, such as one without premium movie and sports
channels.

Tim Barber, the associate
director at Continental Research, said: “One of the truisms about how consumers
respond to a challenging economy is that they go out less and therefore by
implication spend more time at home, watching TV. What is interesting about
this research is that it suggests many people are looking to save money yet
further by cutting back on their monthly subscriptions for additional TV
channels and services.”

He continued: “The
research suggests that one of the reasons is the availability of free content.
With video and TV available free over the Internet, and the comparative ease
and low cost of obtaining Freeview, there is an alternative—albeit
without some of the premium content of the paid-for channels. Our research
suggests Freeview is going to benefit from consumer worries about the credit crunch
at the expense of some of the paid-for services. With new ways of watching TV
now available, the credit crunch could actually be the impetus that causes a
significant change in peoples’ viewing behavior.”

—By Mansha Daswani