Re: The future for linear TV channels
 

One visited me on Christmas eve of all days, i gladly allowed him to check i know i didn't have too but his face dropped quicker than the titanic when he saw not even a ariel was connected and it was clear i only watch on demand (although not legally in some cases lol). He tried to get me to sign a form i declined and sent him on his way without his £20 commision.

Re: The future for linear TV channels
 

The alligators in the pit are getting quite restive. They've not tasted TVL man for quite a while.:D

Re: The future for linear TV channels
 

Just for info for those that don't know, the law did change and you must now have a licence if you watch any BBC content at all, ie live, streamed or on-demand.

Re: The future for linear TV channels
 

It'll probably end up part subscription and part funded by the Government for the public service broadcasting element. In this way, the subscription would not have to rise above the existing licence fee level, despite fewer people paying into it.

Whether or not an advertising option will be part of the solution for those who are just about managing, or do not wish to pay, we will have to see.

Re: The future for linear TV channels
 

Yeah i should of mentioned that tbf if you use iplayer you do need a license and your device will now ask if you have a valid tv license.

Re: The future for linear TV channels
 

Yep. If you want to watch anything the Brussels Broadcasting Company wants to put on.

Re: The future for linear TV channels
 

Depending on what side of the bed I full out of each day, I agree with you fully.... and disagree fully.:)

The BBC does produce a vast amount for that £12 and that model could not be replicated through private means. But a bit like "buy one, get one free" deals in supermarkets, its only a bargain if you use everything you buy. So if you watch the BBC all the time, listen to their radio, use the website, it is a massive bargain, if you use those services...

I was a massive advocate for the BBC and ITV, CH4 and public service broadcasting in general. Then Rupert Murdoch came along...and it all changed.

The quality of programming on the main channels dropped immensely as viewers turned to the multitude of channels on offer and the likes of ITV could not get the kinds of revenue through advertising that they once commanded.

But of course the BBC is NOT funded through advertising, so regardless of Murdoch, satellite, cable, streaming etc. The BBC's revenue is protected.

The original argument that used to be made for maintaining a public service model was that original British content would still be produced. But did the BBC make Game of Thrones, the world's most popular tv show which uses mostly British actors and staff? No. Did the BBC make THe Crown? No.

I think the public service argument has now turned to dust and so should the licence fee, but I agree we would end up with American style tv. Except, that we already did, it happened about 20+ years ago.

---------- Post added at 19:41 ---------- Previous post was at 19:37 ----------

Exactly.

The same arguments are still raging about all the "arts" especially here in London. Ballet, opera etc, isn't it all wonderful? Wouldn't life be terrible without it....?

Well, for those that like that stuff, fair enough. But then they should pay for for it, the full cost of it, not be funded by government handouts.

The real biggie coming and its nothing to do with TV, but exactly the same theme is with the NHS. In effect, do the healthy keep subsiding the unhealthy, even when the unhealthy make no effort to change to make themselves healthy?

Just wait for the fireworks to start on that...

Re: The future for linear TV channels
 

Bingo.

Re: The future for linear TV channels
 

Contrary to the belief that has been expressed on these forums, it appears that the vast majority (98%) of OTT viewing is by way of smart TVs - not via mobile devices.

http://www.csimagazine.com/csi/OTT-s...nce-report.php

UK OTT viewing remains an in-home experience - study

A new study looking at how UK consumers are viewing online programmes shows that most often this behaviour is not yet done over mobile devices, with 98% of OTT content viewed at home.

The latest report from GfK clearly shows there is still a large untapped potential to download content onto mobile. It reveals surprisingly low audience numbers on these devices, despite the fact that 90% of the UK’s OTT users have access to a smartphone and/or tablet. (The study only takes into account the three main long-form streaming services and not the likes of YouTube, see below).

Only 4% of OTT subscribers said they used a smartphone to view content and just 10% used a tablet, even though the penetration is greater than internet-enabled games consoles (60%), set-top box (54%) and smart TV (52%).

Moreover, time spent watching on a mobile device is two hours less than time spent on other devices. Smart TVs are the most popular device to watch subscription movies and TV programmes.

Viewers are also almost unanimous in their preference to watch that content at home. Overall, 98% of all content is viewed at home and 86% of all content viewed on a mobile device is also watched at home.

As well as the small screen, one of the challenges with watching OTT content on a smartphone is inadequate data usage allowances. This is why Neflix is offering 'download and watch-on-the go' now, the research firm suggests. Along with Amazon, the SVoD services are yet to transform OTT viewing from an activity done solely at home on a TV to one also done on the move on mobile devices, but this may now start to slowly change.


Time spent watching hh:mm per device
Devices used to view content Netflix Amazon Now TV
Desktop PC 4:11 3:12 3:09
Laptop or netbook 5:00 3:47 3:01
Smart TV (TV with built-in internet capability) 5:21 4:08 4:28
Internet-connected TV (A TV that uses another device to connect to the internet e.g. games console or set-top box) 5:13 4:03 4:49
Smartphone 2:48 2:26 2:06
Tablet 3:53 3:03 2:39
Source: GfK SVOD Content Consumption Tracker April 2015 to October 2016


GfK surveyed 17,982 respondents between April 2015 and October 2016. They completed an initial profiling questionnaire collecting demographics, services subscribed to, general viewing behaviour and device ownership. Data has been weighted to be representative of the UK profile of Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Now TV users by age and gender.

Re: The future for linear TV channels
 

I'm not sure why that statistic is supposed to be surprising. A poky little phone screen is no substitute for the whopper in the corner of your living room. If it's a toss up between immediate viewing on a screen that's 10" or less, or deferral in order to watch it on something at least three times bigger, on a sofa, without getting a crick in my neck ... well it's a no brainer.

Re: The future for linear TV channels
 

Totally agree. There's nothing quite like watching on a large screen.

Re: The future for linear TV channels
 

On that we can agree as l tried it once on my phone and that bears no comparison compared to a much bigger screen.

Re: The future for linear TV channels
 

But then they aren't meant to replace a TV I'm sure viewing on phones/tablets is predominantly used for things like commutes , in bed viewing or with children who may not have a tv set in their room.

Re: The future for linear TV channels
 

Instead we get stuff like The Night Manager, Doctor Who, Sherlock, Rillington Place, Happy Valley and nature docs like Planet Earth II. Ok, maybe they don't match the absolute best from the US, like Game of Thrones, but shows like that only come along every couple of years.

Also, if it means that I don't have to sit (or fast forward) through 15 minutes of adverts for every hour of TV programming, I'm quite happy to pay the license fee. I understand that not everyone thinks this way, but for those of us that do, it holds a place next to the NHS as institutions we want to keep as they are.

Re: The future for linear TV channels
 

Well Said.