Global TV Viewers Favor Different Platforms For Different Needs

One international TV study says TV Everywhere may have been misnamed.

The study, conducted by Viacom International Media Networks, says that 51% viewers are not that concerned with the particular device they want to watch TV. It’s about “when” -- not “where” or “how.”

One suggestion, then, is to call TV Everywhere “TV Right Now.”

Viacom had in-depth conversations with over 10,500 respondents ages 6-34 and looked at 26,866 of their viewing occasions across 14 countries -- in Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia, Philippines, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Russia, Germany, U.K., Italy, Poland, Netherlands and Sweden.

The study says TV viewing is not about preference -- live TV or video on demand or DVR or free digital video sites: They all provide different needs: 71% say live TV is the main source to discover and watch TV programs, while DVRs are for “catch up.” Subscription VOD (SVOD) viewing is for “marathoning,” while free digital video is “worth a look.”

When asked which platform was used for TV viewing during the past week, 56% said VOD; 53% said channel sites; 51% said DVR; and 47% said SVOD.

When it comes to social media, TV is a main starting point around that conversation. The study found out that 72% talk about TV shows they love.

2 comments about "Global TV Viewers Favor Different Platforms For Different Needs".
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  1. Jon Currie from Currie Communications, Inc., March 13, 2015 at 3:12 p.m.

    I am sure there is much more to this research than in this blog. So, please break it out so it makes some sense. Because there is so much in common between a 6 year old and a 34 year old. How was it done? An "n" of 10K+ is huge. Language and cultural differences are huge. Viewing options are different country to country. For me to get a real sense of this, some context needs to be made. I applaud VI for conducting it, but I am sure their top lines said a whole lot more.

  2. Nicholas Schiavone from Nicholas P. Schiavone, LLC, March 13, 2015 at 7:10 p.m.

    Three comments:

    1. Wayne, why doesn't MediaPost brand your column "Hyperbole & Stupidity"? I am sorry your beat includes
    so much nonsense and noise.

    2. If Viacom International Media Networks understood Media Research better, Viacom would not have to layoff valuable staff across its entire organization in order to find a "Big Data" solution to their serious Nielsen problems.

    This Global Study appears to be an insane Trojan Horse for a more insane audience measurement strategy. Predict the audience future with big data, with certainty. No Nielsen Ratings necessary.

    Never worked; Never will. If reporters start digging now, they'll uncover the research and financial madness at Viacom. We've seen it before elsewhere. The signs are everywhere. Viacom's Extrapolation Solution (VES) is the Emperor's New Clothes and Philippe Pierre Dauman will look great in them. Long hail ... ! I can't even find him in Ancestry.com?

    3. A Global TV Study? Spare me the delusions of grandeur. It would only makes sense if everyone spoke the same language, tuned to the same channels, watched the same programming, had the same TV equipment and lived in the same time zone.

    In sum, different platforms for different needs? Viacom needed money & research to learn that. Insanely obvious from a Global ... or Domestic Perspective. No wonder Viacom is in trouble. Viacom cannot program or measure itself.

    And I don't dare ask, if these nonsensical findings based on 10,5K in-depth "conversations" are to be considered projectable to some known universe like the global population of 7,3Billion. Maybe we should ask?

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