Shoppers Look for Connected TVs When Buying a New Set, Says Study
Are shoppers catching onto connected TVs? A report created by the Council for Research Excellence (CRE) says yes. After tracking 100 and 50 Chicago area households in two separate studies, the CRE found that the majority of shoppers preferred connected TVs (the findings don't include percentages). This could show a change in consumer behavior, as buyers have previously shown a preference for set-top boxes, which are inexpensive and easier to replace than a television.
It's access to content that drives TV purchase decisions, the report says, with shoppers preferring sets that can stream online programs and movies. Regardless of demographic or technographic differences, all study participants looked for ways to stream online content.
The CRE found that family, friends, children, and "boomerang" adults (who have returned to live with parents) all influences the TV-buying decision. Families are more likely to watch TV together early on weeknights, the study found. Between 9PM and 10PM, family members are more likely to watch video on their laptops in their own rooms.
“We learned that consumers want to watch content on the best available screen -- typically the screen known as the ‘TV’ most often found in the living room,” says Bryon Schafer, chair of the CRE’s Digital Research Committee and senior vice president at Warner Bros. Media Research & Insights. “We also learned that kids in many ways are the gatekeepers due to their ability to grasp and advocate new viewing technologies.”
The CRE is an independent research group funded by Nielsen.
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