US viewers now rate VOD above DVR, says survey

Satisfaction with video-on-demand is growing in the US, according to a survey carried out for technology company Vubiquity by Frank N Magid Associates.

According to the survey, carried out in the fourth quarter of last year, VOD was ranked as the number one service available to them by 62% of respondents, ahead of DVR at 60%, HD channels at 55% and premium channels at 47%.

According to the survey, satisfaction with VOD grew 5% compared with a similar survey in 2010.  The biggest areas of improved satisfaction were the quality of programs, up 6%, availability of programs in HD, up 8%, and the number of choices available, up 6%. Sixty-five per cent of VOD users agreed with the statement, “Everything I might ever want to watch is easily available” on-demand.  In a similar survey Vubiquity conducted in the fourth quarter of  2010, only 12% agreed with that statement.

The survey found that ‘binge’ viewing had grown significantly. Seventy-six per cent of respondents watched three or more episodes of a TV show consecutively in one sitting, with nearly 40% indicating that they do this more often now compared with 12 months ago.

The survey also found that almost 70% of homes had a TV screen with access to the internet. Some 35% of respondents said they viewed kids animated content on alternative screens, with 30% and 28% respectively viewing scripted and reality shows on alternative screens.

Frank N Magid Associates interviewed 1,700 consumers with access to VOD services.