TiVo U.K. Study Highlights Viewers’ “Choice Paralysis”

Only 16 percent of viewers know what they want to watch when they start browsing a video service, according to 2024 TiVo Video Trends Report: U.K., with the remaining 84 percent aimlessly scrolling through a sea of options.

Per TiVo, the number of services used by U.K. viewers has increased from an average of six in Q2 2023 to 6.5 in the second quarter of this year. The report also notes that just over 60 percent of viewers switch between more than one app in a typical viewing session, up from 55 percent last year.

A lack of personalized recommendations is contributing to this “habit browsing,” with almost 20 percent of viewers saying they struggle to find something to watch when they don’t have anything specific in mind. Plus, 18 percent admit to starting, stopping and selecting something else often during a viewing session.

The report also pointed to issues around loyalty to a service; 34 percent of current streaming service users said they want to cancel an SVOD subscription over the next six months.

“As streaming options multiply, viewers are facing continued frustration when it comes to finding something to watch, showing ongoing discontent with the difficulty of finding material that suits their personal preferences,” said Gabriel Cosgrave, general manager of EMEA at Xperi, the parent company of TiVo. “TV manufacturers need to prioritize key smart TV features such as aggregated and unbiased content offerings, and user experience features like hyper-personalization and natural voice search so that consumers find content they love quickly.”

Consumers are still spending a ton of time viewing content: U.K. daily viewing time increased to 3.8 hours per day. In homes with children, it’s higher, at 4 hours. AVOD and FAST adoption is steadily increasing, with 43 percent using services such as FreeVee and Pluto TV in the U.K. Free content is becoming increasingly valuable as consumers assess their SVOD spend. TiVo found that 27 percent of U.K. consumers have started using a new service in the last six months, but 21 percent have cancelled a service during the same period.