Accessibility Driving Demand for Content According to Deloitte's "State of the Media Democracy" Survey

Consumers viewing content across multiple devices; Smartphones challenging other products; Digital Video Recorder (DVR) popularity presenting opportunity for cable and satellite TV providers

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Deloitte

Jan 04, 2012, 08:00 ET

NEW YORK, Jan. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The proliferation of devices is increasing access to content, which recent data suggest is driving more consumption. Released today, Deloitte's sixth edition "State of the Media Democracy" survey reveals that the introduction of new platforms has led to increases in the consumption of movies and books.

Deloitte's State of the Media Democracy (sixth edition) survey assesses media consumption preferences of nearly 2,000 consumers, ages 14 to 75 years old in the United States, revealing significant trends including increased access to content driving consumption, smartphones continuing to challenge other devices, and the role of DVRs in preserving consumers' cable and satellite television subscriptions.

Accessibility Drives Demand

Access to content is increasing American media consumption. Movies are available on a wider array of platforms – home TV via cable, satellite, DVD, pay-per-view and Internet, and online via streaming/downloading to a personal computer, gaming console, smartphone or tablet. As recently as 2009, only 28 percent of Americans reported streaming a movie; today, 42 percent report streaming.

Moreover, the number of people citing streaming delivery of a movie to their computer or television as their favorite way of watching a movie rose to 14 percent from 4 percent in 2009. Most tellingly, in 2007, 37 percent of people said that they had not viewed a movie, available for purchase or rental, during the past six months. In 2011, that percentage of non-consumers dropped to only 19 percent.

The phenomenon of eBook readers increasing consumer purchases of books is another encouraging sign that digital content married with new devices can increase consumption. While only 23 percent of respondents preferred to be able to download their books, magazines and newspapers to a digital device in 2007, more than one-third of respondents (36 percent) now express interest in this option.

Newspapers have also benefitted from increased accessibility via smartphones. This year's survey found that 20 percent of leading millennials (respondents between the ages of 23 and 28) have read their favorite newspaper in the last six months on a smartphone – up from 9 percent last year. Eleven percent of leading millennials have also stated that this is their favorite method for reading the newspaper – up from 3 percent last year.

"Our data shows that while Americans may be less interested in physical content, their appetite for digital content continues to grow. That appetite, coupled with the introduction of new technologies, is leading consumers to access the content they want on a number of different devices," said Phil Asmundson, vice chairman and U.S. media & telecommunications sector leader, Deloitte LLP. "Consumers may be watching fewer television shows and movies on TV, or reading fewer physical copies of books and newspapers, but they have not stopped consuming the content. They are simply watching or reading on different media or platforms."

Smartphones Challenge Other Devices

Americans' love of smartphones continues to grow. The number of households owning smartphones jumped to 42 percent in 2011 from 25 percent in 2009. Furthermore, the number of consumers interested in purchasing a smartphone in the near future increased to 52 percent in 2011 from 40 percent in 2010.

As adoption of smartphones grows, Americans are beginning to use them as "all in one" devices for a number of different tasks. In 2011 the survey found increases in Americans using: text messaging (up to 78 percent in 2011 from 71 percent in 2009), mobile online search (46 percent in 2011 compared to 30 percent in 2009, GPS for directions (37 percent in 2011 versus 22 percent in 2009) and even online banking, which was tracked for the first time in 2011 (19 percent).

"Smartphones allow consumers to greatly expand a phone's functionality by downloading different applications. As the costs for these types of devices, apps and the wireless services that come with them continue to fall, consumers are starting to shift their behavior, taking advantage of connectivity, performance, and portability that rivals and often beats that of a laptop," said Asmundson. "As 4G rollouts continue and new smartphone technology is introduced, makers of single purpose devices may need to adopt similar business models if they want to remain competitive."

DVRs Represent an Opportunity for Cable and Satellite TV Providers

The survey also shows Americans value cable TV and satellite TV above most other services, and using a DVR is the second-most preferred means of watching one's favorite TV show. Yet, only 44 percent of those surveyed have DVR functionality. This represents an opportunity for cable and satellite TV companies to provide this highly valued viewing capability to millions of additional Americans.

At the same time, a number of Americans have already cut, or are exploring cutting their pay TV connection entirely. Deloitte's survey found that 9 percent of people have already cut the cord and 11 percent are considering doing so because they can watch almost all of their favorite shows online. An additional 15 percent of respondents said that they will most likely watch movies, television programs, and videos from online digital sources (via download or streamed over the Internet) in the near future.

"Consumers have shown that they value DVR functionality, yet the majority of Americans don't have a DVR in the home. This represents a potential opportunity for cable and satellite TV providers," said Asmundson. "In a world where consumers have other ways to access content, the DVR may be an underutilized service that could serve as a value-add for new and existing subscribers at minimal cost to cable and satellite TV companies."

About the Survey

Deloitte's sixth edition State of the Media Democracy survey was architected by Deloitte's media & entertainment practice and conducted by Harrison Group, an independent research company. The online survey polled more than 2,000 consumers between the ages of 14 and 75 years old in the United States. The survey results have a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points. For more information on Deloitte's State of the Media Democracy survey, please visit: www.deloitte.com/us/mediademocracy.

About Deloitte's Technology, Media & Telecommunications Practice

Deloitte's technology, media & telecommunications practice is comprised of more than 1,400 clients in the U.S., including the vast majority of market category leaders across all sector segments. Deloitte practitioners, many with direct industry experience, deliver a breadth of services including professional audit, consulting, enterprise risk management, financial advisory and tax. The practice is also home to the Deloitte Center for the Edge, which conducts original research and develops substantive points of view for new corporate growth. The Silicon Valley-based Center helps senior executives make sense of and profit from emerging opportunities on the edge of business and technology.

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