It may seem like ancient history now, but it wasn’t so long ago when the term “television” meant essentially the same thing to everyone. With just two possible sources of content (antenna or cable), a relatively limited number of content producers, a handful of formats, and one type of device to view that content with, the act of “watching TV” left little to the imagination.
Of course, the options for viewing video content have exploded since then.
But has that expansion of options resulted in an expansion of the definition of “television”? Does that catch-all term still apply to all the different types of video content available today, all the sources that offer it, and all the different devices to watch it on (or through)? Do consumers still use television-related terms to refer to the wide variety of content they watch and their viewing behaviors, or have new terms entered their lexicon?
These are not just academic questions. Understanding how consumers refer to video content, and the process of accessing content, has important marketing and brand implications. In addition to offering the content that consumers love, in a way that makes content easily accessible, the most successful brands will position themselves in ways that are consistent with the way consumers think about what they’re doing.
Our “TV – Redefined” study will take a deep dive into the different ways consumers use and think about the full range of video content they watch.
Online survey with 1,608 U.S. consumers age 16-74 who have broadband access at home and watch a minimum of 5 hours of TV per week.