Television in Transition

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Consumers worldwide increasingly regard the traditional television set as just one option for consuming video content as the boundaries among TV, mobile handsets and PCs blur by the day.
As this shift in consumption behavior increases, massive change is underway. This will ultimately transform the content production and distribution marketplace around the globe. Advances in distribution technologies and devices is enabling new content offerings, which is driving new consumption habits among consumers of all ages in all geographies.

While all consumers are joining the move toward new modes of consuming content, younger consumers are spearheading this shift, especially those under 25. These consumers are more dissatisfied with current television options and more likely to watch content on alternative devices, and more likely to prefer watching content on demand. This behavioral shift among younger adults represents the beginnings of an impending wave of change.

The wave promises to be all the more powerful since consumers of all ages share a tendency to be loyal to content brands rather than distribution channels. Indeed, consumers seek the content brands they want regardless of channels, rather than sticking with a channel they know. The message is clear: the days of the lineup are numbered—and the value of “must-see TV” in prime time is falling. This is something the networks must come to terms with and address before it is too late.

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The Accenture Broadcast Consumer Survey 2008 is based on a detailed, questionnaire-based research study involving 7,000 consumers across eight countries. We took pains to elicit each subject’s frank views through balanced and detailed questioning, revealing their true perceptions and aspirations, without leading them toward any particular viewpoint.

The survey was conceived and designed to provide insights into the dramatic and global changes now underway in consumer behavior and preferences, in response to the proliferation of new content distribution channels.

Our top-line findings—notably the widespread readiness to adopt new modes of consumption—are remarkably consistent worldwide. But the consumer bases in the various geographies exhibit widely varying views and expectations, often reflecting the different offerings and infrastructure available in each country.

This distinction applies especially to emerging markets with, for example, consumers in Brazil being the most dissatisfied with their existing television experience, and those in Mexico being the most interested in viewing content via mobile. Such variations mean that one size will not fit all in the global content delivery marketplace, and that media companies must think globally and act locally to achieve high performance in the future.