(Wireless News Via Acquire Media NewsEdge)
Consumers are growing increasingly disenchanted with their overall
television experience but are nonetheless remaining remarkably loyal to
their favorite programs, according to results from Accenture's
inaugural Global Broadcast Consumer Survey.

Accenture conducted the survey to analyze how people in multiple global
markets consume and respond to broadcast content, and how they are
adapting to the new content delivery methods.

The survey found that although television remains the predominant mass
communications device worldwide, with 97 percent of respondents
watching TV in a typical week, consumption patterns vary based on a
number of factors including geography, age and socio-economic status.
While some 70 percent of consumers watch four or more television
programs a week, 71 percent of them watch programs on four or more
television channels.

This channel-hopping demonstrates that consumers are more loyal to the
content they want to watch rather than the branded distribution channel
to which they may be accustomed. This affords an opportunity for
content creators, studios and networks to begin delivering content to
consumers on multiple channels and through multiple devices creating
new ways to interact with consumers and entirely new revenue streams.

The survey also found that while 83 percent of the respondents
expressed discontent with watching "live" (e.g., broadcast or cable)
TV, a third (33 percent) are still watching eight or more programs per
week, including 41 percent of American and 39 percent of British
consumers. This change in behavior poses a significant threat to
television networks unless they understand how to deliver content
directly to consumers through new digital channels, the survey found.

David Wolf, a senior executive with Accenture's Media & Entertainment
practice, believes the research suggests that television is rapidly
shifting from its origins as a clearly-identifiable stand-alone medium.

"People are experiencing new consumption opportunities and moving away
from traditional, linear programming," said Wolf. "And age has become
the leading indicator of these new behavioral preferences with
consumers under 35-years-old clearly the best indicator of these
impending changes and future broadcast consumption patterns. Today's
youth are more dissatisfied with the traditional television experience
and increasingly excited by the availability of new choices."

Wolf pointed to other noteworthy trend found in the survey.

In the United States, 46 percent of 18-24-year-olds view content via
mobile devices; but there is considerably less interest among those 55
and older (19 percent). This dramatic behavioral shift represents the
beginnings of a wave of change that will ultimately transform the
content production and distribution marketplace worldwide.

"The under 35-year-old group is more likely to watch content on
alternative devices, more likely to be familiar with On Demand TV,
prefers watching content on demand and is more willing to pay to
download content," Wolf observed.

According to the survey, consumers have already developed some ideas
about what type of content fits best on which alterative device. One in
four (27 percent) would enjoy watching full TV episodes on their PCs,
while the same number (27 percent) would like to receive public service
info; 26 percent to watch new content not normally on TV; and 25
percent content they themselves create. Fewer would like to receive
program highlights (16 percent) or shortened versions of TV episodes.

"User-generated content ranks highly on mobile, reflecting the
expanding photo and video capabilities of mobile handsets and the
potential for easy sharing either face-to-face or via messaging," said
Wolf.

Furthermore, the survey found that more than one in three adults (37
percent) are willing to pay on some basis to download TV shows from a
digital service, with half preferring a monthly fee for unlimited

downloading and slightly fewer preferring to pay for a season of a
particular show. Thirty-three percent prefer to pay nothing in return
for watching advertisements within the downloaded programs.

The survey findings underscored the fact that consumers throughout the
world today have more power and control than ever before in terms of
what to watch, when to watch it, and on what device. In today's digital
environment the definition of what constitutes "TV" and its intended
purpose is getting increasingly blurred, as ambitious new entrants,
channels and new interactive capabilities flood in from all sides.

The survey demonstrated that different countries and regions have
different consumer consumption behaviors. The overarching trends and
strategies to satisfy consumer demand -- may be global, but local
execution requires local knowledge and awareness of the rapid changes
in consumer tastes, expectations and aspirations.

"What these geographic findings all underline is that a one-size-fits
all approach to digital services will not work. Industry participants
need to think global and act local.' It is no coincidence that major
content producers are currently making a series of acquisitions in
emerging markets, seeking access to innovation, talent and content that
they can both utilize locally and recycle to developed and emerging
markets worldwide," said Wolf.

Among the survey's other key findings:

- There is a large number of programs watched on alternative devices in
a typical week. One in three adults in the eight countries access
programs via an alternative device in a typical week, with Italy (41
percent), France (36 percent) and Spain the highest (35 percent), while
Brazil is the lowest (17 percent). Six out of 10 adults said they would
enjoy watching some content via their PCs.

- Consumers are beginning to discern the genres they prefer to watch
"Live" or "On Demand." Nearly one-half (46 percent) of consumer prefer
to watch sports and news "live". Twenty-three percent of consumers
prefer to watch dramas and situation comedies "on demand."

- TV commercials are what respondents disliked most about live' TV.
Commercials are by far the top complaint (64 percent), followed by not
being able to rewind' (40 percent) and not being able to watch programs
at the viewer's convenience (38 percent). Much less troublesome are
unappealing content (14 percent), and being unable to watch programs
away from home (8 percent), to interact (7 percent) or to rate programs
(7 percent).

Accenture's Global Broadcast Consumer Survey:
www.accenture.com/broadcaststudy.

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