Consumer Survey shows the decline of TV as the Primary Media Device

In the largest digital video recorder market, 24 percent of U.S. respondents reported owning a DVR in their home and watching at least 50 percent of television programming on replay. Surprisingly, 33 percent in the U.S. reported watching more television content than before the DVR. More than twice as many U.K. consumers surveyed use video on demand services than own a DVR, and less than a third of U.K. consumers have changed their overall TV consumption as a result of DVR ownership. In Australia, despite owning a DVR, most respondents prefer live television or replay less than 25 percent of their programming.

Online Content Trends

Consumers are increasingly contributing to online video or social networking sites: nine percent of German and seven percent of U.S. respondents claim to have contributed to a user-generated content site; 26 percent of U.S. respondents reported contributing to a social networking site. While the numbers were slightly less from other countries like the UK (20 percent) and Japan (9 percent), they are also significant. Australia topped all countries surveyed with 36 percent contributing to social networking sites and nine percent contributing to video content sites. Of those who contributed content, an average of 58 percent worldwide did so for recognition and community, not monetary gain.

Mobile Content Trends

In the UK, nearly a third of users who watch mobile TV reduced their standard TV set viewing patterns as a result of new mobile device services. 18 percent said they reduced "normal" television by a little and another eight percent reduced "normal" television by a lot; four percent substituted television on their regular TV with their new device altogether. For respondents in Germany who had watched mobile video, 23 percent prefer to view user generated content, and 21 percent prefer video trailers or promotions.

Survey Methodology and Demographics

Conducted from mid-April through mid-June 2007 by the IBM Institute for Business Value, the Internet survey was split 64 percent female and 36 percent male. It proportionately reached demographic groups 18 years and over with approximately 45 percent surveyed between the ages of 18-34, 25 percent surveyed between ages of 35-44, and 30 percent surveyed age 45 and over. The questionnaire covered 38 questions and generated 885 respondents in the US, 559 respondents in the U.K., 338 respondents in Germany, 263 respondents in Australia and 378 respondents in Japan. Respondents reported a range of household salary levels, though the vast majority was under US $100,000.

This consumer study is a component of the upcoming report "The end of advertising as we know it," co-authored by Saul Berman and Bill Battino, planned for the fall. It is the latest in a series of thought leadership papers including: "The end of television as we know it," "Navigating the media divide: Innovating and enabling new business models" and "Beyond access: Raising the value of information in a cluttered market," providing recommendations for broadcasters, advertising agencies and media distributors including telecommunication and cable companies.

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