Comcast Corp., the largest U.S. cable television company, and other pay TV operators in North America and abroad should have ample incentive to distribute content on multiple devices.
An annual survey from Accenture found that the percentage of consumers watching broadcast or cable television in a typical week on the boob tube has plummeted from 71 percent in 2009 to just 48 percent last year. For TV manufacturers like Samsung and Sony, there is more bad news: the percentage of consumers who plan to purchase a television set during the next 12 months fell from 35 percent in 2010 to 32 percent last year.
"Craving an always-on, always-connected lifestyle, consumers increasingly are using other consumer electronics devices in their daily lives to access the entertainment that only TV once provided," said Mitch Cline, global managing director of Accenture's Electronics & High-Tech Group, in a statement. "While consumers will no doubt continue to buy TVs, consumers' preferences are shifting. They are rapidly substituting other screens, such as laptops, desktops, tablets and smartphones, to view media content."
With the demand for smartphones and tablet computers continuing to climb, more consumers are expected to view films, TV shows and other entertainment on such devices. That could mean less viewing on the traditional tube and potentially fewer subscribers for pay TV operators. The survey found that nearly half (44 percent) of tablet owners stream media content. Twenty six percent of the survey's respondents said they stream media content while that figure jumped to 36 percent for respondents ages 18 to 34.
The survey also revealed the weight of some factors that may influence whether a consumer purchases a new TV. More than half (55 percent) of respondents indicated they would buy a TV if the price was within their budget while 42 percent of consumers indicated a high-definition TV was an important consideration. One quarter of respondents cited 3D functionality as a desired feature of a new television while the same percentage of consumers implied they would be more willing to purchase a TV if it offered the ability to connect to the Internet.
The Accenture online survey polled about 10,000 online consumers in connection with their usage and spending on 19 consumer electronics devices as well as related apps and services. Accenture polled roughly 1,000 consumers in each of the following countries: Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Russia, South Africa, Sweden and the United States.
