More than 50 percent of consumers around the globe, including in Taiwan, use Internet-based TV or video services every week, reflecting a growing interest in on-demand content, a study by wireless network maker Ericsson AB has found.
People are spending up to 35 percent of their leisure time watching various types of content, the study found, with 93 percent of respondents still watching TV every week and more than 70 percent using “time shifting” services, such as streaming, downloading or watching recorded broadcasts.
More than 50 percent of respondents said they wanted to connect their computers to TVs to be able to watch online TV content with other programming.
Regarding the preferred devices for watching TV, 37 percent of respondents expressed interest in having a touch-screen tablet connected to their television, which would allow them to keep an eye on private communications, such as e-mails or social networking, while watching TV.
The study collected responses from people in seven countries with advanced video application development — the US, England, Germany, Spain, Sweden, China and Taiwan.
The state-backed Institute for Information Industry (III, 資策會), which helped Ericsson conduct the study in Taiwan, said user preferences for TV or video services in Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung differed.
About 71 percent of respondents living in Taipei were interested in time shifting services, while 51 percent of those in Taichung preferred to record TV programs with a timer, and 73 percent of those in Kaohsiung were most interested in having a list of favorite programming that could be accessed on demand.
Despite the differing preferences, the study showed that all respondents were generally willing to try new types of video services, said Benson Chen (陳均輔), a senior analyst with III, in an e-mail.
“All they want is to have more choices and higher quality TV services,” Chen said.
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