Received this information from Motorola. It is a research on viewing habits across Asia Pacific. I quite agree with the findings that our Service providers need to have custom solutions and not a one-size-fits-all approach. More information after the break.
Motorola Research Reveals Diverse Television Viewing Habits Across Asia Pacific
- Service providers need custom solutions, not a one-size-fits-all approach
SINGAPORE, Dec 17 2010 – Television viewers in Singapore, Australia, China, Japan and South Korea may be geographical neighbours, but their viewing habits and ecosystems differ greatly, according to global research from Motorola Mobility, Inc., a subsidiary of Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT).
Motorola Mobility’s 2010 Media Engagement Barometer is an independent global study of video consumption habits among 7,500 internet-using consumers in 13 markets by research agency Vanson Bourne. Its findings show that for South East Asia and China, while there is a definite trend towards paid-for television services being preferred to free-to-air services (even in markets where free content is more readily available), individual markets are evolving at a separate pace, especially around changing viewer habits.
For example, when looking at one of the key themes from the global findings – the way social media is changing viewing experiences – the rate of adoption differs widely across regions, particularly in the Asia Pacific markets. 70 percent of Chinese viewers and 43 percent of viewers in Singapore have used social networks, chat and/or email to have a conversation about a television program or video while they were watching it, compared with just 34 percent of Australians, 31 percent of South Koreans and 16 percent of Japanese viewers.
New broadcast technologies
- Clear market opportunities exist when looking at planned uptake of new broadcast services but not everyone will be an early adopter. Variations exist across the five markets except for HD television, where there are roughly the same levels of ownership and planned uptake over the next 18 months.
- For 3DTV however, 41 percent of Chinese respondents, according to the survey, believe they will own a 3DTV set by 2012, compared with just 20 percent of Australian respondents and 13 percent of Japanese; viewers in Singapore (30 percent) and South Korea (37 percent) are broadly the same.
- For IPTV, 60 percent of respondents in China either use or intend to use this technology in 2012, along with 41 percent of Chinese and 40 percent of Australians; 35 percent of Japanese will do the same.
Changing viewer habits
Globally there is a move away from viewers primarily watching scheduled programming to a multi-platform approach, with a mix of Internet content, on-demand and pre-recorded video.
- Viewers in Japan watch the most television and video per week (21 hours, which is the same as viewers in the United States).
- Australia is second with 19, China is fourth with 16, Singapore fifth with 14 hours and South Korea at the bottom of the list with 13 hours.
- Free services dominate the Australian, Japanese and Singapore markets in terms of availability (96, 95 and 88 percent respectively).
- Australian and Japanese viewers, unlike those in China, Singapore and South Korea, do not have access to a great deal of paid-for services (34 and 27 percent respectively).
- 71 percent of Japanese and 69 percent of South Korean viewers prefer mainly scheduled content.
Content anytime and anywhere
Globally, the study found that attitudes towards free-to-air content being made available on multiple screens and locations were generally a lot more defined than those towards paid-for content. The Asia Pacific market break down also reinforced this view. This data suggests that viewers are moving to a multi-screen, location independent mindset, but are not yet expecting all content to be delivered in this way. When they are paying for content, they expect a premium experience delivered through the primary television set in the home.
- All regions agreed that it was either very or quite important to be able to access free to-air content on multiple devices (and locations) in the home.
- The reverse is true for paid content, as all markets believe it is far less important.
- 80 percent of Chinese viewers think that accessing free-to-air content when out and about is important to them, yet just 46 percent say the same for paid content.
- Australian, Japanese, Singaporeans and South Koreans have very little interest in accessing paid content outside of the home.
New services
Attitudes towards a willingness to acquire (and pay) for new services also highlight regional cultural differences.
- Just 12 percent of respondents in Singapore, 13 percent of Australians and 16 percent of South Koreans would be prepared to pay extra for video/TV services that integrate Internet capabilities such as chat and access to social networks, compared with 26 percent of Japanese and 28 percent of Chinese respondents.
- 87 percent of Chinese say they would be willing to change service providers compared with 38 percent of Japanese, 43 percent of Australians and 53 percent of South Koreans.
- 36 percent of Chinese respondents would be interested in a service which helped them connect personal devices to television sets to share music, films, photos, etc. from around the home and provide ongoing support. That’s compared with 22 percent from Singapore, 21 percent from South Korea, 18 percent from Australia and just 6 percent from Japan.
Supporting quotes
While the global research paints an overall picture of a changing television landscape, regional comparisons illustrate how different markets are moving at an individual pace. As we enter into the Internet Era of TV, service providers in all markets will seek to differentiate their offers as consumers look for extra value from their subscriptions.
“What this research provides is an understanding of the likely rate of change within markets, providing a guide to where investment and energies should be focused,” said Kevin Keefe, vice president and general manager, Motorola Home, Asia Pacific, Motorola Mobility.
“The research clearly shows a diverse region. In regards to how consumers access video content. While there are definite trends emerging, each market has its own challenges and opportunities,” added Keefe. “Service providers need to develop a keen understanding of their customer’s cultural, technological and economic needs in each market and be agile enough to roll out services that meet specific requirements and desires. This means having content and delivery platforms, such as Motorola’s multi-screen service management software suite Medios, in place to react to customer demand, rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach.”
About Motorola Mobility’s Media Engagement Barometer
Motorola’s Media Engagement Barometer is a research project looking into the video consumption habits of 7,500 consumers across 13 markets: Australia, China, France, Germany, Japan, Nordics, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Turkey, UAE, UK and USA. The research was conducted on behalf of Motorola by an independent agency, Vanson Bourne.
As the second major study from Motorola into media consumption habits of consumers in the home, this research focused on television and video content. The aim of the study was to develop both a global and regional understanding of what video content was coming into homes, how it was being consumed, how viewing habits were evolving with the advent of new technologies such as social media and the trends service providers should seek to support both now and in the future.
About Motorola
Motorola is known around the world for innovation in communications and is focused on advancing the way the world connects. From broadband communications infrastructure, enterprise mobility and public safety solutions to mobile and wireline digital communication devices that provide compelling experiences, Motorola is leading the next wave of innovations that enable people, enterprises and governments to be more connected and more mobile. Motorola (NYSE: MOT) had sales of US $22 billion in 2009. For more information, please visit www.motorola.com
[ad#boxlist]