• by Wayne Friedman , May 25, 2011

Consumers are getting a bit less value from their entertainment products and services -- all due to entertainment fragmentation and commoditization.  

A report from public relations company Edelman says the value of entertainment for consumers has fallen by 68% this year over last. Only 17% of all respondents feel that entertainment sources today provide "very good" or "excellent" value. This is the fifth year Edelman has issued its entertainment survey.

"A lower perception of value in the entertainment industry represents the commoditized nature of today's entertainment," stated Gail Becker, president of Edelman's Western U.S. region. "With so many forms of entertainment, consumers are spreading their attention across multiple platforms -- leading to a decline in perceived value in any one format."

Also, the "trust" in the entertainment industry has fallen by 11% in the U.S. and 9% in the U.K.

The study notes that increasing move to pay walls from content and entertainment platforms has been troubling to consumers. Eighty-eight percent of U.S. respondents and 84% of those in the U.K. don't like the move from free to paid entertainment services -- believing that many pay sites have not improved the quality of service and are driven by greed.

Jon Hargreaves, managing director of Technology for Edelman Europe, said: "For the entertainment industry, if the Internet can add real value to offline content, we believe consumers would be willing to pay for it."

The Edelman survey noted that social-networking sites are one area that has retained its value. The survey says 37% of U.S. respondents believe they provide "very good" or "excellent" value; this number is 37% in the U.K. Almost half of those respondents feel that social networking sites are a form of "entertainment."

Despite the improvement in technology, the study says personal enjoyment and visual/sound quality -- especially those new entertainment adopters -- has dropped 17% percentage points, down to 41% in the U.S., and off 14% in the U.K. to 40%.

Edelman's "Value, Engagement and Trust in the Era of Social Entertainment Survey" surveys 18-to-54s in the U.K. and U.S. It was conducted between Feb. 22 and 28. The sample comprised a total of 1,017 respondents.