The telephone interviewer, on her 799th phone call, grew tired of the reverberated “Duh!” that came hurtling past her eardrums. A final survey respondent answered in kind to the question, “would you rather pay $1.99 to watch a video or get it for free with commercials?Uh huh. Uh huh. I see.” And that was the end of the poll.
A poll of 800 telephone respondents conducted by Points North Group revealed that by a greater than a 3-1 margin, consumers would prefer free on-demand TV programs and endure commercials rather than pay a $2 fee for programs with commercials.
The research company presented participants with a simple scenario. Only 17 percent said if they’d missed their favorite TV show and could watch it online or order it through cable or satellite, they would choose a commercial-free version for a small fee. Twenty-one percent were undecided.
The younger demographic seems more decided about the matter. While 62 percent of respondents overall chose free, 68 percent of the 18-34 demographic said they’d prefer free commercially-supported programming. Twenty-six percent of that demographic said they would choose to pay, and only five percent said they were undecided.
“Video downloads for $1.99 will have limited appeal. Consumers will grow tired of having their credit cards charged $1.99 every time they download a rerun of CSI,” said Craig Leddy, a Points North Group analyst.
Leddy cautioned that any advertising must fit the unique characteristics of on-demand video, the Internet, and portable devices and not impede consumers’ viewing experience. “In time, consumers will see a mix of free, ad-supported, pay-on-demand and subscription options.”
In related news, 92 percent of those polled said they would choose an ice cream sundae over a poke in the eye. Three percent were undecided. For more bogus stats see Todd Snider.
