Huge rise in on-demand TV as viewers box clever

Published on Tuesday 15 January 2008 21:26

THE demise of traditional television viewing, in which families gather to watch a show and workmates discuss it the next day, moved a step closer yesterday.

Pundits had forecast 2008 would be a year of cataclysmic change in viewing habits and technology, and a new survey, showing a third of viewers regularly watch programmes "on-demand", suggests the revolution is on the doorstep.

Some 37 per cent of viewers now fashion their own TV schedules, rather than just waiting for scheduled shows, an internet poll showed. That compares with a figure of only 17 per cent a year ago.

More than three-quarters of those polled predicted TV schedules would have disappeared entirely by 2018, according to the Tiscali TV Trends Report. Nearly two-thirds said traditional TV schedules were too restrictive.

Neal McCleave, the managing director of media services for Tiscali UK, said audiences would still watch big events, such as reality shows or sports, on traditional TV. "People still want to discuss them communally at work the next day," he said.

But there was a growing demand for flexibility, and he said broadcasters worrying about the fragmentation of their audiences should look to on-demand TV to keep and expand viewer numbers.

The survey also highlighted that the "desired platform" for putting your feet up is still the television, rather than a computer .

"If you want to sit down and watch a film, you want a comfortable environment," Mr McCleave said.

Viewing habits were changing fastest among the under-30s, and the boundaries between computer and television were increasingly blurred. "If you look at the habits of the under-20s these days, a lot of time is spent online, and a lot of their time is spent with on-demand services," he said.

The big driver is availability. BSkyB, Virgin Media, BT and Tiscali are now offering digital or downloadable online services.

Yesterday's report followed the launch of on-demand services from the BBC (iPlayer), ITV (ITV.com) and Channel 4 (4oD).

The BBC revealed that more than 3.5 million programmes had been accessed through its iPlayer in the two weeks that followed the marketing launch on Christmas Day.

Channel 4 had 60 million items of content viewed in December, including 10 million downloaded on to computers, via its on-demand service.

According to the survey, the main reasons for using on- demand television include catching up on a missed programme (58 per cent), overcoming schedule clashes (39 per cent) and flexibility.

Some 45 per cent of 16- to 34-year-olds have viewed on-demand content, compared with only 22 per cent of over-55s.

The survey, which was conducted by Tickbox, polled 1,760 adults in the UK.