The Channel | 2009 | Issue 2

53 / 56

OPINION | THE CHANNEL
No
medium
can afford
to become
complacent “
”
INTERNET GROWING
PLATFORMFOR TV
That said, beyond the issues
mentioned above, there are some
interesting findings in Microsoft’s
report. egta agrees with the report’s
assertion that increasing
penetration of broadband Internet
is changing the way TV content is
accessed. Alongside mobile TV and
time-shifted viewing on PVRs,
increasing availability of IPTV and
Video-on-Demand on the Internet
allows an ever larger audience to
watch at anytime, anywhere, and
on any device, increasing the reach
of broadcast TV. As was reported
by the Internet Advertising Bureau
(IAB) earlier in the year, TV
through Internet is an important
growth sector for TV. In addition,
watching TV is the fastest growing
online activity.
Beyond providing a further
platform for delivering TV content,
how can the Internet and television
work together for advertisers? A
report published in 2008 by
Thinkbox and the IAB in the UK
explored the behaviour of medium
to heavy users of both digital TV
and broadband Internet and found
that concurrent use of the media
was high, with almost half of the
sample watching broadcast TV
whilst online most days. The
research found evidence that when
used in this way, both TV and
Internet advertising significantly
increase their efficiency:
TV viewers are driven to online
searches, and online advertising
can create a significant uplift for
brand metrics. In a key finding, the
research indicates that the use of
TV and online advertising together
can increase the likelihood of
buying or using a product by over
50%.
This emerging community of
‘viewers’ offers broadcasters new
cross-platform opportunities to
engage with their audiences,
combining television’s power to
connect with the Internet’s search
functionality.
CONTENT ISKING
In a time of rapid technological
development and changing, not to
mention diverse, patterns of media
consumption throughout Europe, it
is unwise to make predictions
unless they can be based on reliable
evidence.
We can be confident that as long as
audiences want to consume
broadcast media together,
television has a bright future. We
can be sure that whilst the
penetration of high speed
broadband and the increasing
sophistication of online
applications continue along current
trends, the Internet will attract an
ever larger audience. And we can
say with certainty that as a
consequence of an increasing
amount of choice and availability,
no medium can afford to become
complacent or fail to put the
consumer at its heart and content as
its highest priority. The sidelines
await those that do.
“While time spent on the web is
set to surpass time spent in
front of the TV, this does not
mean that people are watching
less TV content, but rather, the
way people consume it is
changing. The PC is increasingly
becoming a screen for watching
TV.”
“For ‘Generation Digital’, content
is as likely to be pulled from
other devices as it is to be
consumed via a traditional TV
schedule set. To this generation,
TV means video, delivered on
demand. In fact, one in seven
18-24 year-olds now watch no
live TV at all. This video content
is increasingly likely to be
consumed online, either as
short clips, downloads or
streamed full-length content.
Already 42% of young adults
regularly watch TV online,
through a PC. Of the 65% who
stream or download TV content
once a week, 26% do so every
day."
“All content is now becoming
digital, through user-generated,
peer-to-peer and on-demand
services available via the web.”
"The web is creating a ‘social
media revolution’ – from mass
media dictating the agenda we
have moved into a user
generated social media
landscape."
Source: Microsoft report 'Europe
logs on' (April 2009) – the
findings can be downloaded at
IS THE INTERNET
VERSUS TV DEBATE
MEANINGLESS TO
THE CONSUMER -
DO WE HAVE TO
REDEFINE WHAT
'WATCHING TV'
MEANS?
THE CHANNEL | ISSUE 2 2009 | 53
WWW.EGTA.COM