REPORT

Routes to Content: how people decide what TV to watch

With more than half of UK households owning an internet-connected TV and subscribed to at least one SVOD, this article sought to analyse how people discover and decide what television to watch and explore just how accessible public service television is. 

“The contemporary media landscape has altered the discoverability of television content. More than half of UK households have a TV set connected to the internet and subscribe to at least one subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service, multiplying the routes that people can take to find the television programmes that they want to watch.

For the television industry, this means adopting new strategies to increase the discoverability and accessibility of their content. For regulators and policymakers, this challenges existing prominence legislation that aims to ensure that public service content is easy to find. Current prominence regulations were designed for the world of linear television channels and electronic programme guides, raising the question of how accessible public service television is in the new on-demand environment.”