Posted: 21st Feb, 2009 By: MarkJ
New research from
Parks Associates has revealed that 80% of broadband users in key European markets still prefer traditional off-line video viewing to Internet based services (e.g. BBC iPlayer, YouTube etc.):
It will be difficult for companies to sell video streams and downloads to consumers in Europe when there is this undercurrent of reluctance, said John Barrett, director, research, Parks Associates. Even if all piracy issues are resolved, the realities of consumer preferences could still undermine the service plans of content providers, if they dont understand their customers.
The survey believes that many consumers are watching video online only because of the availability of free content, both legitimate and illegitimate.