Who & Where?
A number of typologies emerged from the
research: Professional men in their 30s who are co-habiting; mums with
children at home and a 'digital generation' of men and women under 25.
Notably, none were unusually technology-savvy 'geeks' nor were they fans
of highly niche programming, such as science fiction.
Laptops were popular among the group, with desktops often situated in the study or second TV room or front room for those people with children who need monitored usage. Some expressed interest in linking their computers up to the TV, especially to view longer form content, but there were no examples of this actually taking place. As an interim measure a number of users linked laptops to a bigger computer screen, especially when viewing in the study.
Laptops were popular among the group, with desktops often situated in the study or second TV room or front room for those people with children who need monitored usage. Some expressed interest in linking their computers up to the TV, especially to view longer form content, but there were no examples of this actually taking place. As an interim measure a number of users linked laptops to a bigger computer screen, especially when viewing in the study.
What & Why?
Online Video meets a variety of needs, from killing time and quick
entertainment bursts to indulging niche interests and information
gathering. The purpose of watching is again split into three categories
as outlined below.
Different sites meet different needs. One of our group commented 'YouTube is more for a giggle, I wouldn't use it for anything else, I like the biggies like the TV or entertainment channels which have the 'WOW FACTOR' and get your attention straight away'
We observed an empowered consumer able to control what he watches and when he watches - a state that is summed up in this comment, 'I know where to look now, I can go there or go there, spend a lot more time watching TV programmes on the internet, all stuff I wanna watch…I'm king of my own computer'
From comedy clips on YouTube, to full length TV shows, our viewers are accessing a wealth of online content, which we have categorised as follows:
'Video sites serve my interest at that very moment, it's not general content that TV provides'
Female mid 20s
Different sites meet different needs. One of our group commented 'YouTube is more for a giggle, I wouldn't use it for anything else, I like the biggies like the TV or entertainment channels which have the 'WOW FACTOR' and get your attention straight away'
We observed an empowered consumer able to control what he watches and when he watches - a state that is summed up in this comment, 'I know where to look now, I can go there or go there, spend a lot more time watching TV programmes on the internet, all stuff I wanna watch…I'm king of my own computer'
From comedy clips on YouTube, to full length TV shows, our viewers are accessing a wealth of online content, which we have categorised as follows:
| Snippets | Boutique | Catch-up |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
'Video sites serve my interest at that very moment, it's not general content that TV provides'
Female mid 20s
When & How?
In the Boutique and Catch-up categories, online
content takes the role of the 'second TV' in the home. Key viewing times
include:
In the Snippets category, the short-form nature means that viewing is
much less confined. People are watching short videos any time that web
access is available. It is often viewed as a complement to other media,
as a way of further investigating a topic.
'Normal TV is not customised to my routine, I don't have a routine, I can't go home just to watch the news'
Female, mid 20s
'I'm online at night, when it's quiet when the kids have gone to bed. Its ME time. I'm open minded I want to be stimulated and entertained.'
Female, late 30s
- At home in the evening
- Peak television time when partner or children are hogging the remote, or when there’s nothing they want to watch
- Coming home from work late and catching up on missed TV programmes
- Very late at night when there’s nothing on television
- Sunday mornings while nursing a hangover
- Daytime for stay-at-home mums
'Normal TV is not customised to my routine, I don't have a routine, I can't go home just to watch the news'
Female, mid 20s
'I'm online at night, when it's quiet when the kids have gone to bed. Its ME time. I'm open minded I want to be stimulated and entertained.'
Female, late 30s
How are they watching?
| Snippets | Boutique | Catch-up |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
All viewers gave their full attention to online video content, but whilst viewers of snippets exhibited classic web multitasking behaviour, catch-up viewers displayed lean back TV-watching behaviours, such as sitting back on the sofa or pausing online streaming during a longer feature.
The research revealed an 'Apex of attention' with Boutique viewing whereby the focused, task driven mindset lends itself to unusually high receptiveness and propensity to interact with video advertising when it is relevant.
Advertising
The traditional contract between advertisers, platform owners and
viewers is in a state of flux. A once simple 'deal' - watch these ads
and the content is free - has been generally obscured by a variety of
other arrangements. We now often pay for our media through subscriptions
('premier' content like football or mobile downloads for example), but
we also get free media and free content in other areas.
This research focused on video advertising formats. In the interviews, video advertising in the Boutique and Catch-up categories - mainly pre and mid roll - fares well. In these categories most viewers have a high perceived value of the content and appreciate that free content is too good to be true. Some even reported positive experiences when the advertising is linked and relevant to their Boutique viewing. In most cases the adverts are short and perceived as unavoidable and countdown timers are used to manage the viewer patience level.
'If I'm on the computer and it comes on before a clip, I'm not gonna move because the ad's there, I would normally just watch it and wait for the clip to start'
Female, early 20s
This positive response to advertising is a first for the authors of this study who remarked that whilst the majority of their work involves examining different media contexts in advertising, it is rare to get positive responses (Cinema and Underground being the two major exceptions).
'I don't mind when they know the kind of thing that you want to view, so if it's something that's personalised in terms of looking at what you're doing'
Male, early 30s
In contrast, advertising around Snippets suffers a more negative response. There is still a debate around whether it is appropriate to have advertising around amateur content online at all.
Non-video advertising such as banners and pop-ups are generally unpopular with people engaged with this content unless related to the video. Furthermore, the intrusive nature of advertising can make some viewers impatient. This is really about the viewing 'mode'. Whilst people are in entertainment or task driven mode, they are easily annoyed by advertising that they consider to be intrusive. It stands between them and their fun.
In summary, in the context of this research, advertising returns to a more traditional role in the 'deal' that people are entering into with the media owner. The contract is simply about content in return for watching some ads.
The other reason that we see an enlightened view of the commercial contract in certain types of online TV and video is that the pre-roll is a highly successful format; it is short, unavoidable, acts as an introduction to the content experience and at best it is disarmingly relevant.
This research focused on video advertising formats. In the interviews, video advertising in the Boutique and Catch-up categories - mainly pre and mid roll - fares well. In these categories most viewers have a high perceived value of the content and appreciate that free content is too good to be true. Some even reported positive experiences when the advertising is linked and relevant to their Boutique viewing. In most cases the adverts are short and perceived as unavoidable and countdown timers are used to manage the viewer patience level.
'If I'm on the computer and it comes on before a clip, I'm not gonna move because the ad's there, I would normally just watch it and wait for the clip to start'
Female, early 20s
This positive response to advertising is a first for the authors of this study who remarked that whilst the majority of their work involves examining different media contexts in advertising, it is rare to get positive responses (Cinema and Underground being the two major exceptions).
'I don't mind when they know the kind of thing that you want to view, so if it's something that's personalised in terms of looking at what you're doing'
Male, early 30s
In contrast, advertising around Snippets suffers a more negative response. There is still a debate around whether it is appropriate to have advertising around amateur content online at all.
Non-video advertising such as banners and pop-ups are generally unpopular with people engaged with this content unless related to the video. Furthermore, the intrusive nature of advertising can make some viewers impatient. This is really about the viewing 'mode'. Whilst people are in entertainment or task driven mode, they are easily annoyed by advertising that they consider to be intrusive. It stands between them and their fun.
In summary, in the context of this research, advertising returns to a more traditional role in the 'deal' that people are entering into with the media owner. The contract is simply about content in return for watching some ads.
The other reason that we see an enlightened view of the commercial contract in certain types of online TV and video is that the pre-roll is a highly successful format; it is short, unavoidable, acts as an introduction to the content experience and at best it is disarmingly relevant.