Despite the ever-growing types of media content and diverse platforms available to consumers, live broadcasting continues to dominate the entertainment landscape.

Deloitte’s Digital Media Trends Survey 2018 has found that consumers continue to watch more hours of live broadcasts than any other source, and will continue to do so for the short and possibly long term. These insights span five generations of audiences (matures, baby boomers, X, Z, and millennials) from seven countries (Brazil, China, France, Germany, Japan, UK, and US).

Even with the rise in consumption of content on mobile devices, people still prefer their paid subscriptions for live sport, drama, and family entertainment. While the popularity of streaming sites such as YouTube is high in certain countries and regions, the dominance of live broadcasts is not expected to be significantly challenged in the next few years.

The conventional wisdom is that today’s consumers are cord cutting/shaving, but the results indicate that few people follow through on their intent to cancel their paid subscription. Not only are they still paying the monthly access costs, they are also increasingly supplementing them with additional video-on-demand (SVOD) subscription services.

As for why consumers remain loyal to live TV, it is often due to the expanded experience they offer. Pay TV is no longer just about the TV, with streaming technology allowing for the live experience to extend to mobile devices.

That means that pay TV users are able to stream live and on demand shows in HD from their favourite devices. This functionality is typically included in a pay TV subscription, so users are able to watch simultaneously on multiple devices.

In many cases, a user just has to download an app and enter their login details to enjoy live TV while on the go. If they’re not using the smartphone app, they also have to ability to stream through a standard web browser.

This additional value and high level of flexibility has ensured that not only are people enjoying their live content on their TV at home, but also on a smaller screen either at their desk or somewhere outside the house. Thus, the cost/benefit of a pay TV subscription becomes less of a concern than having the convenience to instantly access live content.

Ensuring a smooth and stable streaming experience across platforms is a constant challenge for broadcasters. You must navigate growing customer expectations whilst ensuring all users enjoy a fluid viewing experience, even during a big game or at the launch of a new season of a hot TV series. But broadcasters’ commitment to the technology and conquering these issues seems to have paid off as evidenced with healthy subscription numbers.

The above points help to explain why, in many geographies, pay TV is considered a top three most valued service for consumers.

Endless thirst for content

Most consumers across countries are doing at least one additional thing while watching content. A growing number of multi-talented individuals are even doing as many as three additional activities.

Multi-tasking behaviour varies depending on the device. For example, consumers tend to be more focused while watching content on a laptop PC than on a TV set.

Improvements to speed and flexibility of modern technology, powering both big and small screens, have improved people’s ability to multi-task. However, this has led to an environment where it has become difficult to focus on one thing, which in turn has created an interesting challenge for content producers and advertisers.

The sheer amount of available streaming content has also given rise to consumer habits such as binge-watching. Not only are streaming service subscribers watching more frequently, they are also doing it for longer periods of time.

Content producers have responded to this fierce demand by producing more programming at a faster pace. However, running this type of production machine requires deep pockets, and it is expected that it could soon cost as much as $20 million per hour to create a high-quality episode of an original TV series.

Prepare for tomorrow’s consumers

With the sheer variety of mobile devices, connectivity, and digital content platforms available to today’s consumers, they have more choice of media and entertainment options than ever before. This also means they are becoming more demanding of the delivery speed and convenience of their favourite content.

We’ve already assisted media and broadcasting companies such as Foxtel, Multi Channel Network, Telstra, Channel 7, Network 10, News Corp, Optus, and Vodafone with their digital transformations. Visit our Media & Broadcasting page to see what our industry-specific services and solutions are, and how we used them to improve our clients' business and processes.

If you are looking for guidance with improving the usability and responsiveness of your streaming or online experience, or perhaps you need assistance ensuring security and stability of your content delivery platforms, we can help. Contact us to find out how.