TiVo Service changing telly habits?
Virgin Media has published its latest entertainment trends report, providing a first look at the impact of its TiVo Service and an update on the viewing habits of all its digital TV customers.
The second Virgin Media Entertainment Index reveals Virgin Media TiVo customers are already exploring new ways of finding the programmes they want and adding to their TV experience with apps.
Initial data shows one in every four views of a TV channel did not originate from the traditional Electronic Programme Guide (EPG). Compared to other digital platforms where the EPG is the sole means of accessing channels, this is a marked shift by early adopters in how they find and watch what they want.
One way of getting to programmes on the TiVo Service is to look for them directly with the intelligent search feature. This brings up suggestions as the customer types, with typically just three clicks of the remote needed to find the desired show. The list of top searches reveals that half are for programmes not even in the top fifty most watched according to BARB for the period. The top ten search terms by Virgin Media TiVo customers were:
1. The Apprentice
2. Camelot
3. Doctor Who
4. House
5. Glee
6. EastEnders
7. Dexter
8. Casualty
9. Desperate Housewives
10. Fringe
The list highlights the potential opportunity for programmes from channels further down the EPG to reach larger audiences, as demonstrated by Dexter on FX or Fringe on Sky1. This suggests the growing success and relevance of word of mouth social recommendations or marketing campaigns rather than their scheduling and prominence.
The TiVo Service also introduces a growing number of apps from the likes of YouTube and Twitter to add further experiences like extra content and new interactivity as a part of the UK’s first next generation TV experience. 79% of all the TiVo set-top boxes were used to access an app and, on average, each box launched apps 4.5 times a week.
Across Virgin Media’s entire TV subscriber base in the first half of the year, customers made 484 million On Demand views – a 19% increase on the same period of 2010. That year saw 15% higher viewing in the second half, with particularly high viewing in the last three months, which suggests Virgin Media is on track to exceed the predicted one billion On Demand views in 2011.
Cindy Rose, executive director of digital entertainment at Virgin Media said: “TV will never be the same again. Our TiVo Service takes television viewing to another level by seamlessly combining traditional channels and On Demand with the best of the web, making it easier to find and uncover amazing programmes. The discovery tools for the next generation will be search, browsable collections and recommendations. There’s such a vast world of great entertainment that it’s exciting our early adopters are already exploring what the TiVo Service can do and we’ll continue to refine and build upon our lead in connected TVs.”
The full Virgin Media Entertainment Index explores patterns of viewing behaviour across all three screens – TV, computer and mobile.
