Price has the most impact on purchases of digital video content

58% of smartphone owners watch purchased digital content on the devicesA recent online survey by CSG Systems International reveals that consumers are just as interested in purchasing digital content from their Pay TV provider as they are from an over-the-top content provider as long as the price is reasonable: 71% of consumers are willing to buy content from over-the-top content providers (those who provide broadband delivery of video and audio without a multiple system operator), while 70% are just as willing to buy from their Pay TV provider.

While the majority of video content is still purchased in the household rather than over smart phones, consumers cite a growing number of devices in the home: 79% of consumers use their personal computer to order digital content, while 39% also use tablets and 36% use Internet-connected televisions. While 64% of respondents own a smartphone, only 58% of smartphone owners (37% of all respondents) said they watch digital content on it.

Infosurv surveyed 1,201 U.S. consumers age 18-65, on behalf of CSGI. The online survey was fielded from March 19 to 21, 2013. The survey results were not weighted. Based on a Researchscape assessment of the questionnaire and methodology, this survey is only slightly likely to be representative of U.S. consumers in general: the results should be considered qualitative or directional in nature.

A higher percentage of 25-34 year-olds use each device for digital content.

Price has the most impact on customers purchasing a product, with 35% of all consumers indicating that price of content is the single largest influencer on the decision to purchase content. More than 40% of 18-24 year olds cited price as the single largest influence on their likelihood to make a content purchase. Ease of use ranked as the second most influential factor, with more than 20% choosing this factor as most important.

80% of consumers purchase 5 or fewer pieces of content each month.

In a prepared statement, Kent Steffen of CSG International said, “The content revolution demands considering the preferences of all individuals and their devices within a household to ultimately create a more loyal and satisfied customer.”

For more information on this survey, refer to Pay TV vs. Over-the-Top Digital Content Providers.

Author Notes:

Jeffrey Henning

Jeffrey Henning, IPC is a professionally certified researcher and has personally conducted over 1,400 survey research projects. Jeffrey is a member of the Insights Association and the American Association of Public Opinion Researchers. In 2012, he was the inaugural winner of the MRA’s Impact award, which “recognizes an industry professional, team or organization that has demonstrated tremendous vision, leadership, and innovation, within the past year, that has led to advances in the marketing research profession.” In 2022, the Insights Association named him an IPC Laureate. Before founding Researchscape in 2012, Jeffrey co-founded Perseus Development Corporation in 1993, which introduced the first web-survey software, and Vovici in 2006, which pioneered the enterprise-feedback management category. A 35-year veteran of the research industry, he began his career as an industry analyst for an Inc. 500 research firm.