Consistent with consumer enthusiasm for the “TV Everywhere” concept promoted by Comcast and Time Warner south of the border, nearly 7-in-10 Canadian TV viewers say being able to access their cable channels on the web or mobile is an “excellent” (26%) or “good” (41%) idea.
Among the key findings of the SRG research:
- Web TV may be an important tool to stay relevant for the important 18-49 demographic. Nearly eight-in-ten in this age group say the idea is “excellent” or “good,” compared to under six-in-ten of those 50+.
- There is little difference between the views of customers of major cable and satellite carriers: among Shaw and Videotron customers, 68% like the idea. Among Bell and Rogers customers, 66% and 65%, respectively. These levels are just slightly lower than SRG’s benchmarks among Comcast (74%) and Time Warner (70%) subscribers as reported in Multichannel News in July 2009.
- The top reasons cited (on an open-ended basis) among those who like this idea were:
“easy, convenient”
“can watch while travelling or outside the home”
“taking full advantage of subscription, what we pay”
“can use PC to watch in rooms with no TV ”
“no worry if I miss a show”
- But there were reservations also. Skepticism about an always-reliable stream was most frequently cited, as well as potential compatibility issues.
In other findings…
- More PCs are paired with TVs: 10% of PCs in Canadian households are connected to a ‘regular’ TV at least some of the time (up from 7% in 2007) and 9% are at least occasionally paired with a High Definition screen (up from only 3% in 2007). Among those who are not yet connecting their PCs to a TV, 44% say they are interested.
- Blu-ray format showed growth in 2009, with penetration in nearly one-in-five households. And the consumer experience with 3-D movies in theatres is very positive, suggesting potential for in-home 3-D applications such as 3-D TV.
- Canadian consumer indicators have seen a slight bounceback from late 2008 and early 2009 lows—and there is more consumer optimism. SRG’s discretionary spending momentum indicator is back in the positive territory now, after being at zero for the last two quarters.
Technical: These findings come from SRG’s independent Digital Life Canada syndicated study. The Q2 2009 research was conducted in late June/early July. Where applicable, results are compared to previous benchmarks.
