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.’