Bringing the internet to TVs is best way to win viewers

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 | By Danielle Long

This finding from Deloitte research out today sheds more light on the reluctance of the great majority of people to access online TV services.

Sure, the research also reveals that close to 50% may be interested in accessing TV online, but it also found most viewers think online content is too difficult to access and don’t know how to begin watching online.

new media age often reports surges in popularity for internet TV. But it’s important to remember these services are still being accessed by a very small audience, especially when compared to the mighty figures the likes of ITV’s The X Factor can attract on TV.

I’d challenge anyone to find large groups of internet TV viewers aged over 40 or outside the media industry. 

All the research indicates that users enjoy the freedom of catching up with TV programmes they’ve missed, but given the choice of a computer screen and a TV, they’ll pick the more familiar option – the TV .

While the likes of iPlayer, Sky Player and 4oD are brilliant, the broader long-term success of on-demand TV will come through the IPTV platforms enabling viewing on a traditional TV set. Virgin Media has reported huge viewing figures for on-demand content, for example.

This makes the speedy approval of Project Canvas, an IPTV platform enabling broadband-connected TV services via a set-top box, even more critical if the shareholders – BBC, ITV, BT and, most recently, Five – are to reach the great majority of viewers who are unlikely to view this content online.

Recent research by Thinkbox credited the popularity of on-demand services with helping to drive overall growth in TV viewing, which increased by ten minutes a week over the first six months of the year.

The success of TV – both traditional commercial broadcast and services such as online players and IPTV – lies in providing the user with the best possible service, and the long-lauded convergence of TV and the internet via a set-top box is the best option for many.

If approved, Canvas will address both user needs and provide what may be a very welcome addition to many households. And if it also makes the likes of online TV services such as Hulu available, it could be even an even more compelling addition to traditional TV viewing.

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