Primary Research: One on One Interview

As my third piece of Primary research I decided to do a one on one interview with a fellow student who watches TV on Demand. I hoped to achieve more in-depth answers then what I got from the focus group.

Information on Participant

Name: Diamond King-Stennett

Age: 18

Occupation: Student

How often do you watch TV on Demand?

‘Quite a lot actually, especially when I’ve missed a show like Eastenders. I would probably say I visit the sites twice a week.’

What is the most common site you visit?

‘BBC iPlayer simply because of Eastenders! Because it is nearly on everyday it’s good because when you miss it you know that all the episodes from the week will be on there. I like 40D as well because they have a lot of shows with the full series on like Skins, so it’s good to watch when you’re just at home bored and want something to do.’

What are the advantages and disadvantages to TV on demand?

‘The advantages are that you can watch whenever you want, it fits around your life and you can decide when you want to watch a certain show rather then having to make sure you stay in to watch it on TV. It’s free, which is great because you’re getting all this entertainment while paying nothing.  Because I watch it on my laptop I can watch it anywhere in the house and I can move around while watching the show. The disadvantages are the advertisements. With the adverts you can’t skip them, you can’t mute them, there just there and you have to watch through them till the show comes back on. If you have a dodgy internet connection you may have to wait a while for the shows to buffer which is annoying and sometimes the shows just randomly pause because it hasn’t fully loaded yet.’

Do you mind the advertisements on demand websites?

‘Like I said before they are quite annoying because you cant skip them, you can’t mute them and you have to watch through like three of them till the show comes back. Sometimes I’ve noticed that the adverts don’t really appeal to the target audience the show is for e.g. when I was watching skins which is typical for teenagers there was an advert on washing up liquid. I think if they suited the target audience more and did adverts on say a new iPod or a new Cd out it would be better. Even though the adverts are annoying at least with the internet sites you only get 3-4 because with TV you usually have to sit through around 7.’

How could TV on demand be better?

‘No adverts or more appealing advertisements.  Less breaks. If shows could stay on longer or even didn’t have an expiry date. If more TV channels had an on demand website e.g. Living or MTV. If it could be possible to have TV on demand actually on your TV, like if you could have a 40D channel that you can click on and catch up on shows.’

Do you think TV on Demand will change the way people watch TV?

‘Yes definitely! In a way more people will be willing to miss shows and go out and then come back home and catch up on the websites. If definitely allows you to make your own viewing schedule and not worrying about missing your favourite show. I wouldn’t say that it will take people away from actually watching shows on their TVs because loads of people have Sky Plus nowadays and you can always record a show on that. However you do have to pay for Sky plus where as TV on demand is free.’

If you had to pay for TV on demand would you?

‘(long pause)..I think for me it depends what show and what the price would be. I would hate to miss a show that everyone is talking about and knowing I can watch it if I pay a small amount, so in that case I probably would!’

What would be the maximum price you would pay for one TV show?

‘No more than 50p. I think if it was any more it would be too expensive and not many people would watch TV on demand anymore.’

If you didn’t want to pay would it sway you illegally watching shows online?

‘In a way, yes because when you want to watch something you will look all over the web to see if there is a site that has it. However if the quality is poor or the sound is off then I would prefer to pay.’

Do you prefer watching shows on your TV or laptop?

‘TV simply because the screen is bigger and I think the quality is slightly better. But the good thing about your laptop is that you can watch it anywhere in the house! You could be cooking food in the kitchen and watch a show then sit down and eat in the living room still watching it.’

What is a good length of time for TV programmes to be kept on the site after the first broadcast of it on TV?

‘I think 30 days is good, especially if you just came back from a long holiday and say you missed all them episodes of Eastenders, you’re able to catch up on all of them. I like how with 40D they put the whole series of a show up after it has been aired on TV and it’s there forever so you can always go back and watch it.’

Primary Research: Comparative Analysis

Comparison of TV on Demand Websites

As a piece of primary research I thought I would compare 4 different TV on demand websites. My aim is to see which one is most popular and why, whether it being because of its advertisement, the way the site looks or how many variety of shows it has.

I’ve chosen to examine four of the most popular channels in the UK and compare their websites, these being:

40D, BBC iPlayer, ITV Player, Demand Five.

Front page

40D

The websites home page first shows you 5 options of the ‘Current most popular’ shows being watched. You’re also given the option to scroll over and see 5 options of ‘High Drama’ shows, and if you scroll over again you can see 5 options of ‘Top Comedy’.

Below that is a ‘browse by date’ option where you can pick a date from the week and it will show you all the shows that was aired at what time. Next to that is a search box for you if you already know what show you are looking for and below that is the category section where you have 34 choices to find a programme for you.

The 40D website is put together so it is easy for you to find a programme to watch. They have used the website not just as a place to catch up on TV you missed but also somewhere for you to find something to watch if you were at home bored. I think 40D are very good at promoting their popular shows on the website as you can see pictures of them and the times they were on, but because they have such a wide variety of categories it shows of just how many shows they actually have.

The colours on the front page are quite plain as it is only black and white, however I think it makes it seem quite stylish, modern and fits well with the C4 logo. The display makes everything easy to use, the font of the writing is clear and can be understood and the site doesn’t seem to be over the top with colour and pictures. 

BBC iPlayer

On the home page you see a ‘Featured Section’ showing you a show, a ‘For You’ section showing you shows that you may like to watch or have watched before. There is a ‘Most Popular’ tab of shows that the majority of BBC iPlayer viewers are watching, and finally a ‘Friends’ tab where you can suggest shows to your friends through social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook.

Below that is a TV channels list where you can see what is being aired on the 10 different BBC channels. From there you can pick shows to watch from the present day and 3 days earlier in the week. Next to that is the categories section where you have a selection of 15 choices to choose from.

From going on the BBC iPlayer website I have realised it is made to specify your TV needs as it has sections that enable you to personalise the home page. There is a section for your favourite shows, a section of what you and your friends can share and a section to manage your TV shows. I think this is a really good idea to get more people on the website as they have their own personal account to make sure they can quickly and easily find the shows they enjoy and watch them when they like.

The front page of the website is really good visually. It has pictures of the shows and a black and pink colour scheme which still makes it look professional. The display of the different sections has been split well as it is easy to navigate to and they are all clearly titled.

ITV Player

The home page of the ITV Player website first shows you 5 choices of ITV programmes. Underneath that there is a ‘What’s on’ section showing what is and has been shown on the ITV channels today and yesterday. Next to that is a ‘Most Watched’ part and then next to that is a ‘Featured Series’ tab where You can watch a complete series on ITV Player, up to 30 days after the last episode is broadcast.

I think that the ITV Player home page is set out quite well because it does promote the most popular shows and also it does have the full channel listings from all the different ITV channels. However, I think that because they don’t show a categories section it is quite hard to pick out shows and you would have to rely on knowing what channel and time the show came on to find what you’re looking for.

The background on the home page is the same as the ITV player logo and I think this is a good way to show representation of their logo. There isn’t much writing and information on the home page which I think could be a negative aspect because it denies viewers of information about the website.

Demand Five

The home page of Demand Five shows you a choice of 8 shows which you can scroll through. Below that is ‘Recently on TV’ section showing what you have just missed. Finally below that you have the category section giving you 6 choices to choose from.

The Home page lacks promotion of TV Shows. It doesn’t say a word like ‘Popular’ or ‘Most viewed’ which I think is important to get audiences to watch the shows. Nothing is really eye catching or stands out on the front page and I think you would just go straight to another section to find your show and be done with it.

The Demand Five home page is very dark with the use of a black background and dark purple tabs. I think if they changed the purple to a lighter colour the website might seem more user friendly because at the moment it looks quite grim and gloomy. The sections have been split up well and it is easy to understand. I think the font and size they have used for the names of the show could be a bit bigger as they are quite hard to read.

Categories

40D

On the home page 40D shows 34 programmes by category choices.

BBC iPlayer

On the home page BBC iPlayer shows 15 programmes by category choices.

ITV Player

On the home page ITV Player does not show an option of programme category choices.

Demand Five

On the home page Demand Five shows 6 programmes by category choices.

As 40D offer the most categories it is easier to find shows you’re looking for. It has a wide range of choices including Art, Design & Literature, Disability, Reality shows and US Shows. I think because they have made the choices for us so vastly varied it is much easier for us to locate a specific show we are looking for.

ITV player on the other hand do not show a category section on the home page. I think this a big mistake as some viewers may go on the website not knowing what the show they missed was exactly and it would be hard for them to locate where to watch it. E.g. If you don’t know they name of the show you missed yet you know it was a comedy, it would be very difficult to find it when having to search through all the shows.

Availability

40D

40D lets you catch up on shows that have just been aired on Channel 4 and also shows that their series may have ended but you can still watch them.

‘Skins’ the TV show finished its fourth season in March. 40D has kept all Skins seasons from 1-4 on their site so you can watch it at anytime.

A show like ‘The Event’ that is new to Channel 4 has had 4 episodes appear on 40D. The pilot episode aired on 22/10/10 and is available for 21 days.

Usually with Channel 4 shows after the series has ended 40D are able to put up the whole season for people to re-watch or catch up on.

BBC iPlayer

On BBC iPlayer, a popular show like Eastenders which is aired on BBC One nearly every day is available for a week.

A new show like Lip service that airs only once a week on BBC Three is available for 21 days.

A show like Waterloo Road whose series has ended on BBC One is available on BBC iPlayer however it also has an availability date end time.

ITV Player

On ITV Player Coronation Street is available for 29 days prior the air date on ITV. This is a big comparison to Eastenders on BBC iPlayer as they are both the most popular shows in the country, yet Coronation Street is available for much longer then Eastenders.

Demand Five

On Demand Five their popular shows like Home & Away and Neighbours are available for 30 Days prior their broadcast date on TV.

Primary Research: Focus Group

I ran a focus group with 5 people. I got a friend to ask the questions so i could take notes and focus on what people were saying. I think the focus group went well considering we had a short amount of time and only a few people. All the students who took part all seemed to have a interest and knowledge with TV on demand so i was able to get informative answers.

How often do you watch TV on Demand?

The most common answer i got back was twice a week. I found out that it was mainly when a popular show was missed e.g. Eastenders.

What is the most common site you visit?

Sidereel was most common for US dramas that you couldnt watch in the UK. 40D and BBC iPlayer were most common for popular shows. BBC iPlayer mainly for Eastenders and 40D for C4 Drama e.g. Skins & This is England 86.

Are there disadvantages to it?

Sometimes it can take to long to load up. The buffering is a put off if it takes too long to load up. The advertisements are repetitive and come up at evry break in the show.

Do you mind the advertisements on Demand websites?

They are one of the biggest problems of TV on Demand because you can not skip them. You have to watch them before, during and after the show is finished. Sometimes you can't mute them so they make noise when your waiting for the show to come back. They can be irritating and they don't fit the genre of the show e.g.if it was a teenage drama a advert on Washing machines will come up and it doesn't attract the same target audience of the show.

How could TV on demand be better?

Less adverts. Quicker buffering speed. TV shows stay on for more days. no expiry dates on shows.

Do you think TV on Demand will change the way people watch TV.

Yes because your able to make your own veiwing scedule, you can watch your favourite shows when you want. It is on your laptop so you can watch it anywhere in the house. TV channels have longer and more adverts.