Lifting The Lid On The New Broadcast Generation

Ipsos survey reveals latest technology habits of the British public

Ipsos survey reveals latest technology habits of the British public

A new survey by market leaders Ipsos has revealed that new technology isn't exclusively the preserve of young people -- in fact, High Definition TV is more likely to be bought by someone aged 45-54.

Just under one in ten people now own a High Definition Television (HDTV) or a Personal Video Recorder (PVR). However, ownership of an HD ready set does not currently translate to viewing HD channels -- only 43% of those with the set have a subscription which enables them to view HD channels.

Interestingly, younger age groups with an HD ready set are more than twice as likely as older age groups to subscribe to an HD service. Perhaps reflecting the limited availability of HD programming, films are the most popular genre for viewing HDTV.

These findings come from the most comprehensive ongoing survey into the new media habits and attitudes of the British public -- Engage from Ipsos Media. Engage aims to help media companies, advertisers, media planners and others tap into the media consumption patterns of the public, to give accurate data in the cluttered field of new technologies. The survey provides insightful and robust penetration and diagnostic data across a whole host of new media technologies and content.

Key points from the initial findings are:

  • PVR viewers still watch more live television than recorded television -- the PVR has not completely revolutionised schedules, although the majority of people do fast forward through ads when watching recorded television (but this doesn't necessarily mean advertising will no longer work in these situations).
  • The PVR has wide range of uses, but this is often dependent on genre -- e.g. programmes with high involvement that may normally have an appointment to view are more likely to be timeshifted (e.g. films or drama), and sports, news and current affairs are more likely to be fast-forwarded to scan for highlights. Only 15% of PVR users stockpile episodes or, take this one step further, transfer to video, perhaps indicating that this approach is not currently a competitor to the buy and keep DVD market.
  • Video on Demand (VOD) is still in it's infancy and much more likely to be used by those who are adopters of other technologies (e.g. digital radio, broadband, MP3 etc). VOD is not the first port of call even for the minority that have used it before -- over half agree that they only look at VOD listings after they've seen what else is on.

Jim Ford, Client Services Director for Ipsos Media, said: "The survey makes for fascinating reading. It goes beyond the penetration figures to look at the motivations behind purchase and usage, and gives hints as to potential technological winners and losers."

Revisiting The Stereotype?

Although still currently users of niche products, the often assumed profile of the 'early adopter' does not necessarily fit for all new media products and services, meaning that marketers and advertisers may have to revisit their perceptions of just who is buying and using new and niche technologies.

For example, Engage has found that those aged 25-34 are those most likely to currently use a PVR, whereas an HDTV ready set is most likely to be bought by those aged 45-54.

Other Examples:

  • Digital radio and MP3 have very different age profiles. Digital radio has a much older, more highly educated, higher social grade profile. They are more likely to read broadsheets than users of other measured technologies.
  • Users of Web logs (Blogs) and RSS feeds are more likely to fit the typical early adopter stereotype of young, ABC1 males.
  • A clear finding is to avoid broad brush-strokes and be careful not to stereotype the early adopter. They clearly differ across the media technologies.

Glossary Of Terms

  • PVR -- Personal Video Recorder
  • HDTV -- High Definition TV
  • IPTV -- Internet Protocol TV
  • VOD -- Video on Demand
  • VoIP -- Voice over Internet Protocol
  • RSS -- Really Simple Syndication

Technical details

The research was conducted by Ipsos Media between September and October 2006. 3,000 British people aged 16+ were interviewed face to face. 10,000 people were recruited for online interviewing.

Through BaseEngage, Ipsos Media has 3,000 people who are surveyed every quarter face to face on which forms of technology they use. A further 10,000 people who use digital technology have been recruited on-line. They have been divided into three groups to answer questions on Vision, Sound and Connect.

VisionEngage asks users about habits concerning TV, HDTV, digital television, Interactive TV and PVR (systems like Sky+). SoundEngage asks questions on digital radio, I-pod technology and MP3s, while ConnectEngage concerns other online technology including mobile phones and connected services, broadband, etc.

Related news