(Original post on Medium: https://medium.com/tvtwocom/what-do-people-really-think-of-tv-ce8cf857673c)
We recently chanced upon a very interesting video: a piece of research undertaken by Ericsson to better understand the TV viewing habits of people from very different backgrounds. As TV-TWO aims to disrupt the global TV industry, we found this very helpful in understanding current attitudes.
The video is a ‘guy on the street’ set up, a series of short interviews with passersby in five very different cities – Hong Kong, Cape Town, Buenos Aires, London, and Los Angeles – who answer a series of questions about their relationship with TV and their viewing habits. Interestingly, a lot of the answers aligned with our own market research.
Let’s take a look at some of the questions asked and a few of the responses.
What does TV mean to you?
‘Escapism’ was a popular answer, but so was ‘keeping up with the news’. One South African guy made the interesting observation that ‘TV was no longer television’. By that we think he’s referring to the fact that there’s no single dominant content outlet – in his opinion (not ours!).
Do you use your mobile devices for video?
Unsurprisingly, the answer was mostly ‘yes’ (!). iPhones and iPads were popular devices; though the viewing contexts mentioned were different – people use mobile devices both at home and when travelling – with one enthusiastic Londoner saying that sitting down with a smartphone to watch TV was ‘The greatest thing!’
How do you watch TV?
An odd open question, which seemed to get a variety of responses: from ‘late at night’ to ‘I hardly ever watch TV’ to ‘with my family, so we can be together’. We’re inclined to agree with the lady in the screenshot below though.
Do you binge watch?
A resounding ‘Yes!’ was a popular answer to this question; though there was no clear age or demographic distinction between those who did and those who didn’t.
What are the most important components of a TV service?
Yup, we thought this was a loaded question too. But it seemed to offer the most diverse range of answers among the people asked. For example, one older guy prioritised picture quality, while a younger man said speed was most important.
However, we wholeheartedly agreed with the young woman in the screenshot below whose answer rang completely true to TV-TWO’s mission. She’d ultimately want TV to be free, personalised, and to be able to ‘watch the content that I want, when I want.’
As discussed in our previous article, here at TV-TWO we’re backing television all the way. Despite the fact there are so many content delivery services and devices out there, broadcast TV still has an important role to play in our lives. We should celebrate and build on the technology available rather than assume it’s soon going to be obsolete, and use it to benefit everyone. We truly believe the blockchain can make this possible.
Of course, the blockchain doesn’t get mentioned in Ericsson’s video; but the sentiments expressed clearly illustrate the crossroads TV finds itself at. Television is at a decisive point, and we at TV-TWO are eager to take a chance on it and change the TV industry for the better.
Why not watch the video in full and let us know your thoughts on the issues raised? Leave us a note in the comments below!
Keen to find out more about we’re doing at TV-TWO? Take a look at our whitepaper.
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