Accenture: Consumers are loyal to content, not channels

According to Accenture's Global Broadcast Consumer Survey, consumers continue to disengage with television as a whole but they remain loyal to their favorite programs. What does this mean for online marketers? Because correlations can be drawn between television and online habits, whether video is used or not.

by Kristina Knight

The survey found that about 95% of the world's population tunes in to television programming on a given week. However these consumers aren't channel loyal. Roughly 70% of consumers watch at least 4 programs each week but about 71% watch programs on different channels. What this indicates is that the program is most important, not the channel.

David Wolf, senior executive with Accenture's Media & Entertainment practice, said, "People are... moving away from traditional, linear programming... Age has become the leading indicator of these new behavioral preferences with consumers under 35-years-old the best indicator of these impending changes and future broadcast consumption patterns. Today's youth are... increasingly excited by the availability of new choices."

A correlation can be drawn between this television phenomena and the increasing number of consumers logging on to the Internet to interact with others. What the survey indicates is that the content is what keeps consumers returning to their favorite television shows. The same thing has been shown to be true for online content. If the content is fresh and engaging, consumers will return time after time. If the content is dull or does not update regularly consumers will turn to another channel.