Internet TV channels, like Netflix and Amazon Prime, set to overtake free UK catch up services this Christmas
- 39% of UK consumers expected to pay for Internet TV services this Christmas
- Currently 38% of UK consumers use popular free streaming services like BBC iPlayer, All 4 and ITV Player
- Worldwide, almost half of Internet TV subscribers plan to cancel within 6 months
- The UK has the highest consumption of free catch up services like iPlayer and All 4 at 38% – more than double the survey’s global average of 18%
- Mobile viewing is on the rise, with 40% of UK consumers planning to watch TV over Christmas via a laptop, tablet or mobile
- DVDs are still alive with 29% planning to watch a DVD or box set, with 18-24 females the biggest group
The days of thumbing through the Radio or TV Times marking out what you want to watch on terrestrial channels this Christmas are over. Internet TV is set for a Christmas boost in the UK with 39% of consumers planning to use paid Internet TV services during the festive season.
Just under 1 in 5 (19%) of the UK are already using subscription TV services like Amazon Prime, Netflix and NOW TV, while an additional 20% intend to sign up to these services for Christmas.
These additional signups are widely expected to tip the balance of UK consumers favouring paid streaming services over free ones such as BBC iPlayer, All 4 and ITV Player, which 38% of consumers currently use. This is according to a new Research Now study, commissioned by Paywizard, experts in subscriber management for pay-TV.
However, despite rapidly growing interest in paid services, the survey shows that the UK’s Internet TV subscribers are not intending to stick around, with 1 in 5 planning to end subscriptions in January and half (49%) of all subscribers planning to leave within 6 months. The survey also found that free catch-up TV is still popular with UK audiences, who are four times more likely than Germans or Americans to enjoy services like BBC iPlayer, ITV Player and others.
These findings are part of a global study highlighting that Internet TV services will be a big hit with consumers around the world this Christmas, with 52% of viewers planning to use an online TV service during the festive season. The study, which surveyed consumers in Australia, Brazil, Germany, Singapore, the UK and US, analysed how consumers plan on watching TV this Christmas, which TV services they prefer and which devices they plan to use.
Says Bhavesh Vaghela, Chief Marketing Officer at Paywizard:
“The UK audience is well served with TV choices, ranging from traditional broadcasters and pay-TV providers to newer, high quality on-demand services. Yet the appetite for more content is only getting bigger, giving international services like Netflix and home-grown rivals like NOW TV a foothold in the market that may ultimately disrupt the status quo.”
For the full UK infographic see download here. The complete Paywizard study, entitled ‘OTT isn’t just for Christmas’, is available to download here.
