BBC: Online Viewing Erodes Television Audience
Online viewing is eating into traditional TV viewing in the UK, according to an ICM survey of 2,070 Britons.
43% of respondents said they watched video online and watched less TV as a result. Only 9% of respondents said they watched online video regularly.
ICM's data would seem to run counter to recent data from American networks. A recent poll from CBS indicates that viewers who are exposed to video online become regular viewers offline. (CBS is also the most popular producer on YouTube.) If you give credence to the CBS online exposure strategy, and you understand that UK media companies don't offer as many programs online as do their American counterparts, then it's possible that the ICM survey data simply indicates that British viewers aren't being "redirected" to view offline programs. In other words, they're migrating to the Web and aren't being offered any incentives to migrate back to television.
That hypothesis will be put to the test in the next year, during which the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 will begin offering most of their shows on demand on the Internet.
