When smart TV owners who subscribe to pay-TV were asked whether, since having a smart TV, they were reconsidering their pay-TV subscription, a third of respondents (35%) agreed, perhaps reflecting the wider range (and ease of access) of VoD and catch-up TV services now available on smart TVs. Section 2.1.4 of this report focuses in depth on developments in the video-on-demand market over the past year. Figure 2.10
Attitudes towards smart TVs
I am reconsidering my pay TV subscription now that I have a smart TV
35
I prefer to watch TV and films streamed from the internet on my smart TV than on a PC or laptop/ tablet
29
32
54
I just wanted to buy a new TV, I wasn't concerned if it was internet connected or not *
38
I couldn't live without my smart TV
38
0% Agree
20%
28
22
13
38
35 40%
Neither agree nor disagree
60%
+8pp agree
26 80%
+11 pp agree
100%
Disagree
Source: Ofcom online survey 2013 Q.B16. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements? Base: (1) All respondents who have used the internet functionality on their smart TV (541) (2) Those with a smart TV who subscribe to pay TV (536) Note:*Among all respondents who own a smart TV (670), 42% agreed, 23% neither agreed nor disagreed and 34% disagreed.
Despite the rise in the penetration of connected devices, scheduled TV still dominates The increase in the penetration of TVs connected to the internet (either via inbuilt functionality or a third party device), as well as smartphones and tablets, means there is now greater flexibility and choice for consumers in deciding what to watch, when to watch it and which device to watch it on. However, despite the proliferation of internet-enabled devices, TV viewing in the home remains predominantly live (i.e. watched at the time of broadcast). Ofcom research shows that the main TV set in the home remains the default screen for live content, and there is no significant variation in the frequency of viewing live television between smart TV owners and traditional TV owners, with 88% of all owners using them daily for such content. The proportion of respondents claiming to watch live TV daily on connected devices such as tablets and smartphones is much lower. But the proportion using connected devices for viewing live content on a weekly basis is still high. Fifty-seven per cent claim to use tablets to view live content on a weekly basis, compared to 41% of smartphone owners. As discussed in the market in context section, six in ten tablet users claim to view content in the bedroom using the tablet as a secondary TV, and this is potentially driving the high levels of weekly live viewing. However, the significantly lower proportion of claimed daily viewing of live content is likely to be because the small screen size of connected devices limits their ability to become the first choice for live TV viewing, among other factors.
135