Traditional TV advertisers 'must accept inevitability of online' 

Friday, June 24 2011 by Craig Nicholson

Internet connected televisions and online video are posing a significant threat to traditional TV advertising, but could present an opportunity for internet consultants.

On demand television is becoming increasingly popular in the UK, according to YouGov research, with 69 per cent of respondents indicating that convenience is the main reason for doing so.

A younger generation of Brits aged under 35 were found to be significantly more likely to take advantage of catch-up services such as BBC iPlayer and 4OD.

Marketers have still yet to come up with a replacement for traditional scheduled advertising for TV, but will be keen to do so before viewers turn away from live television in favour of internet alternatives on a much larger scale.

The YouGov research indicated that viewers find adverts on live television far more memorable than those seen on catch-up services, while more than half suggest that they are more annoyed by seeing an advert before watching content online.

Many of those who favour catch-up services are attracted by the absence of adverts, which perhaps goes some way to explaining why the ad-free iPlayer is the most popular and used by 88 per cent of the population.

YouGov head or media consulting Adele Gritten explained: "Cable TV subscribers benefit from having access to the internet on their main TV screen.

"The fact that so many are enjoying catch up from their sofas, rather than their PC, further underlines the existing consumer demand for connected TVs in living rooms across Britain."

Underlining the growing popularity of accessing video entertainment online are YouTube's viewing figures.

Last month, analysts indicated that 48-hours worth of content is now uploaded every minute onto the site.

This has seen marketers attempting to target audiences in other ways, such as by linking campaigns to major YouTube events, such as the live stream of the royal wedding, which attracted 72 million viewers on the site alone.

Living Streams "Improving clients' profitability through better use of the internet".