With the growth of on-demand services, consumers now have more ways of watching TV than ever before, while the growing popularity of personal video recorders (PVRs) is allowing greater control over viewing schedules. Customisation is clearly a growing trend, but what effect is this having on traditional TV models?

Mintel’s research indicates that PVRs have a positive influence on TV viewing, with a third of owners agreeing that they watch more TV now. Both Sky and Virgin Media agree that they increase customer loyalty; however, both are looking at new advertising models to counteract PVR owners’ tendency to skip adverts. And with two thirds of internet users accessing TV catch-up services, just how relevant is live TV to today’s viewers?

This report explores whether consumers are indeed taking control of their own schedules, exploring the use of PVRs – otherwise known as digital video recorders (DVRs) or digital TV recorders – and looks at the impact on traditional TV viewing. It also looks briefly at online TV and video-on-demand (VoD) services (these are looked at in greater detail in Mintel’s reports Entertainment on Demand – UK, May 2009 and Online Video Content – UK, February 2009).

Main issues

What are the penetration levels of PVRs and which is the most popular platform?

What are PVR owners’ viewing habits? Do they watch TV ‘live’ any more, or is everything recorded?

Do PVR owners deliberately avoid adverts?

Who watches online TV and what impact does this have on their viewing habits?

How much customisation do viewers want and is it causing confusion?

Where do other services, such as video-on-demand, pay-per-view and the red button fit in?