blinkx, the world´s largest and most advanced video search engine,
today revealed research into the modern British online adult and their
consumer viewing habits. The research shows Great Britain is a nation
of interactive TV users, and the idea of the passive viewer is fading
fast, with much of the population going online while watching TV.
The research showed:
-- Nearly 70 percent of online British adults who watch
television (69 percent) go online while doing so, with 21
percent of 16-24 year olds always using the Internet while
watching TV
-- More adults who surf the web for content related to what
they´re watching on TV are searching for products which
appeared in the show (30 percent) than products advertised
during programming (27 percent)
-- There is a healthy appetite for full length film, TV shows and
sporting events online, with 19 percent of all online adults
typically watching such content online
-- News (27 percent) and comedy (22 percent) lead the way for the
types of video and television content being watched online
Multitasking nation
The results from the survey revealed the nation wants to find out
more about what they´re watching, while watching it. Nearly 70 percent
of online British adults who watch TV go online when watching
television at some point, with 21 percent of 16-24 year olds always
going online while watching TV.
Interestingly, even the Golden Oldies of Great Britain also ´two
time,´ with 50 percent of Silver Surfers aged 55 years old and up
going online while watching TV.
Influence of advertising
The results also gave insight into the difference between
consumers´ reaction to programmed advertising and products used during
the shows. Of those online and surfing the web for related content
whilst watching TV, 30 percent search for products or services which
appeared in the programme they were watching.
The results for those searching for products advertised during the
programming were slightly lower however, with 27 percent of viewers
looking for advertised products.
Healthy appetite for content
Industry watchers will not be surprised to hear that the advent of
TV and video content online is being readily accepted. Fifty-one
percent of online British adults are watching such content online,
which is encouragingly high, with one in five (19 percent) watching
full length TV shows, movies or sporting events online.
Who is watching what?
When looking at the content being watched, there is an intriguing
gender split - although few will be surprised that more men are
watching sports (27 percent) than women (8 percent). However, when it
comes to current affairs, more men (31 percent) are regularly watching
news online than women (22 percent).
Finally, it seems the younger generation have a healthier sense of
humour online, with 34 percent of 16-24 year olds watching comedy
content online, against just 16 percent of those over the age of 55.
"It´s interesting to see that Internet surfing is now challenging
the way we watch television," said Suranga Chandratillake, founder and
CEO, blinkx. "The U.K. no longer wants to be a nation of passive
viewers. They want to find out as much information as possible, and
want to discover this through the Internet at the same time as they
are watching the content on the television."
About the Survey
Harris Interactive(R) fielded the online survey on behalf of
blinkx between February 13 and February 18, 2008 among nationwide
cross-sections of 2,471 adults aged 18+ in the United States and 2,228
adults aged 16+ in Great Britain. The Great Britain data were weighted
to be representative of the total G.B. adult population on the basis
of region, age, sex, education, and income. The U.S. data were
weighted to be representative of the total U.S. adult population on
the basis of region, age within gender, education, household income,
and race/ethnicity. Both sets of data were weighted to be
representative of the population of online adults in each country.
All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability
sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most
often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error,
coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated
with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting
and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words
"margin of error" as they are misleading. All that can be calculated
are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities
for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These
are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this
ideal.
Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who
have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys.
Because the sample is based on those who agreed to be invited to
participate in the Harris Interactive online research panel, no
estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.
Full data tables are available upon request.
About blinkx
blinkx plc (LSE AIM: BLNX) is the world´s most comprehensive video
search engine. Today, blinkx has indexed more than 18 million hours of
audio, video, viral and TV content, and made it fully searchable and
available on demand. blinkx´s founders set out to solve a significant
challenge - as TV and user-generated content on the Web explode,
keyword-based search technologies only scratch the surface. blinkx´s
patented search technologies listen to - and even see - the Web,
helping users enjoy a breadth and accuracy of search results not
available elsewhere. In addition, blinkx powers the video search for
many of the world´s most frequented sites. blinkx is based in San
Francisco and London. More information is available at www.blinkx.com.
