64% of UK consumers would pay to stream films online

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Posted 23 January 2012 11:52am by David Moth with 0 comments

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Almost two-thirds of UK consumers are willing to pay to stream films online, while 30% would pay for TV shows.

But statistics from KPMG's Media and Entertainment Barometer show that the willingness of consumers to pay for streamed TV is still yet to take off in the UK, increasing just 3% between September 2010 and October 2011.

The appetite to pay for streamed movies is growing slightly faster, increasing by 4% to 64% between March and October 2011.

This number is likely to increase further as more streaming services become available – Netflix launched in the UK this month as a rival to LoveFilm.

The data also shows that awareness of online streaming services is widespread, with 9 in 10 people having heard of BBC iPlayer.

This tallies with statistics released by the BBC which reveal that 1.94bn TV and radio shows were requested on iPlayer across all platforms in 2011.

In December alone, 7m BBC programmes were requested on connected TV sets – an area that is predicted to see huge growth in 2012.

As online streaming services become more popular traditional media channels continue to decline, despite the majority of consumers saying they prefer to use traditional media such as reading books or watching TV.

In contrast online newspaper and magazines are becoming more popular – 55% of respondents said they had read online newspapers, an increase of 15% in six months.

Usage of digital books increased from 8% to 14% in the same period, apparently driven by the expanding tablet and e-reader market.

KMPG's research also found that the average spend on smartphone and tablet apps is increasing, with e-books taking up the largest share.

Among those who download paid apps, the average spend is now £6.97 on smartphone, up from £5.65 six months ago. 

In the same period the average monthly spend on tablet apps has increased to £10.78 from £8.87.

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Econsultancy is hosting a Connected TV Roundtable later this year to share knowledge, experiences and best practice, while also covering issues, trends and developments. 

David Moth is a Reporter at Econsultancy. You can follow him on Twitter.