September 2011
For Multiscreen TV in Western Europe, Recorded TV trumps Live TV
French broadband homes show strongest preference for multiscreen access to PVR content
In advance of the IBC 2011 conference, Parks Associates released new research today revealing consumers in Western Europe value multidevice access to recorded TV programs over other new video services, including access to live TV.
Given a choice of new TV features, including 3DTV, online video access, and multiscreen services, 47% of broadband households in Western Europe’s largest countries selected viewing recorded programs on any Internet-connected device as one of their top three features. By comparison, 30% selected live TV as one of their top preferences. The results are from Parks Associates’ Connected Consumer in Europe, a consumer study that examines services received and desired, digital product ownership and purchasing, demand for value-added services, use of digital media, and mobile/convergence habits and usage.
Preference for viewing recorded content on a computer, tablet, smartphone, or other Internet-connected device was consistent across all countries surveyed. The greatest difference was among French households, with 51% selecting recorded content versus 30% picking live TV. Consumers in the U.K. valued both multiscreen services, with 48% choosing recorded TV and 36% selecting live TV, and multiscreen services overall were the least popular in German homes.
“Multiscreen access to live and on-demand TV programming is available across Europe, but consumers want access to their recorded content,” said Brett Sappington, Director, Research, Parks Associates. “Consumers use PVRs to record their favorite shows, effectively creating a personalized TV playlist, and they value unfettered access to this programming. At our upcoming CONNECTIONS™ Europe conference, we will discuss strategies for operators to leverage this unmet demand to their benefit.”
Parks Associates will host CONNECTIONS™ Europe: Cloud Services, CE & Service Provider Strategies on November 8-9, 2011, in Amsterdam. The event features consumer research from Connected Consumer in Europe, which surveyed 10,000 broadband households across France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the U.K., providing a detailed picture of the broadband home and the use of digital media on connected devices.
For information, visit http://www.parksassociates.com, http://www.connectionseurope.com, or contact 972-490-1113, sales@parksassociates.com.
About Parks Associates
Parks Associates is an internationally recognized market research and consulting company specializing in emerging consumer technology products and services. Founded in 1986, Parks Associates creates research capital for companies ranging from Fortune 500 to small start-ups through market reports, primary studies, consumer research, custom research, workshops, executive conferences, and annual service subscriptions.
The company’s expertise includes new media, digital entertainment and gaming, home networks, Internet and television services, digital health, mobile applications and services, consumer electronics, energy management, and home control systems and security.
Each year, Parks Associates hosts executive thought leadership conferences CONNECTIONS™, with support from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)®, CONNECTIONS™ Europe, and Smart Energy Summit.
