Warc, 12 September 2014
NEW YORK: TV viewers who use multiple screens and sources
show a preference for live TV and stronger network loyalty than those who
restrict themselves to one screen, according to new research.
Media giant Viacom surveyed 1,500 viewers aged 13 to 44 and
carried out in-depth interviews with people on Boston and Chicago for its
report titled Getting With the Program: TV's Funnels, Paths and Hurdles, as it
explored how audiences discover, watch and become fans of TV shows.
The study showed that around eight in ten viewers (79%) said
having more ways of accessing shows helped them try more programs and a similar
proportion (78%) indicated that they would not have become fans of some shows
if they couldn't watch in multiple ways.
Multi-screen viewership was also linked to a stronger
preference for live TV and network loyalty. Twice as many multi-screeners as
single-screeners said it was important that they watched their favourite shows
live (47% v 23%), while 45% of multi-screeners were loyal to a few networks
compared to just 28% of single-screeners.
"What we're seeing is that the myriad of sources and
devices has taken fandom to new heights, making TV a bigger part of our
audiences' lives than ever before," said Colleen Fahey Rush, evp and chief
research officer, Viacom Media Networks.
The research identified a five-stage process in the journey
to fandom which it dubbed the TV viewing funnel. This started with discovery,
most often by word of mouth or by TV promos, leading on to research, involving
initial viewing and discussions with family and friends, then selection of
device to view on, followed by fandom and sharing.
Within this funnel, Viacom reported that audiences were
dedicating more time to the discovery and research stages, which in turn was
driving greater fandom and sharing.
Compared to a few years ago, for example, 73% become
interested in new shows more quickly, while 81% watched a greater variety of
shows and 61% agreed that TV was now a bigger part of their social life.
Looking five years ahead, most respondents expected that
they would have even more options for where, how and what to watch TV (84%) and
that they would be watching a greater variety of programs (83%).
Data sourced from Business Wire; additional content by Warc
staff
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