CABSAT 2014: traditional TV still ‘King of Media’ but needs to get SMART
Joseph O'Halloran | 13-03-2014

Despite the many and increasingly different ways in which people can access TV content, the overwhelming dominance of traditional TV has been confirmed in a Viacom survey.

The global study of more than 20,000 respondents in 32 countries explored watching behaviours, drivers and motivations, as well as engagement and frequency with various connected devices and access points. While finding that TV is still the king of media is not hugely surprising, Viacom warns that in order to preserve its dominance it needs to be SMART: that is social, mobile, accessible, relevant and tailored.

The survey found that consumption of traditional, measured TV continues to increase: with an increase of one minute globally in 2012, and seven minutes in Europe. And even though there was an increase in time-shifting methods, having access to such technology actually increased the time spent watching content overall.

Viacom also found that more opportunities to watch content on multiple devices also increases the amount of time spent viewing, and says that it has identified a new Hierarchy of Screens, an order of preference by which consumers are choosing which screen to use.

"It's no secret that the way consumers watch TV content is evolving and changing,” commented Raffaele Annecchino, executive VP, South Europe, Middle East and Africa, at Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN). “During the study we gained unprecedented access into the lives of viewers, getting an immersive and nuanced understanding of what drives their TV watching preferences.

"The TV SMART study is especially relevant in the Middle East, where almost half the population is aged between nine to 30 years old, of which 77% have a social media account. When we consider that MENA residents aged between 15-24 are holding on average 19 digital conversations per day and two out of the 72 hours of YouTube content uploaded per minute originates here, the need to work hard to stay attended to rapidly changing attitudes and behaviour has never been more apparent.”

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