[Satnews] Nearly two-fifths of UK consumers are expected to pay for Internet TV services this Christmas, eclipsing the number of those using free streaming services like BBC iPlayer, All 4 and ITV Player.

This is a finding of a recently announced Research Now study, commissioned by Paywizard, a provider in subscriber management for pay-TV. The study found that 19 percent of the UK are already using subscription TV services like Amazon Prime, Netflix and NOW TV, while an additional 20 percent intend to sign up to these services for Christmas. These additional sign-ups may tip the balance of UK consumers favoring paid streaming services over the aforementioned free ones.

Yet before the UK’s pay-TV providers start celebrating, Paywizard warns that its research also shows that the UK’s Internet TV subscribers have rather loose loyalty: as many as a fifth said were planning to end subscriptions in January and half (49 percent) of all subscribers were planning to leave within six months. The survey also found that free catch-up TV is still popular with UK audiences, who are four times more likely than Germans or Americans to enjoy services like BBC iPlayer, ITVplayer and others.

These findings are part of a global study highlighting that Internet TV services will be a big hit with consumers around the world this Christmas, with 52 percent of viewers planning to use an online TV service during the festive season. The study, which surveyed consumers in Australia, Brazil, Germany, Singapore, the UK and US, analysed how consumers plan on watching TV this Christmas, which TV services they prefer and which devices they plan to use.

“The UK audience is well served with TV choices, ranging from traditional broadcasters and pay-TV providers to newer, high quality on-demand services. Yet the appetite for more content is only getting bigger, giving international services like Netflix and home-grown rivals like NOW TV a foothold in the market that may ultimately disrupt the status quo,” commented Bhavesh Vaghela, chief marketing officer at Paywizard.

“Our survey highlights that people are willing to pay to get what they want, but only if services can prove that their deal is worth it. For the industry, winning new customers may not necessarily mean that they’re there to stay, and this study shows why areas like brilliant service quality and support are essential parts of the consumer experience.”

Read more:  Online TV set to overtake free UK catch-up services | Online Video | News | Rapid TV News http://www.rapidtvnews.com/2015121441005/online-tv-set-to-overtake-free-uk-catch-up-services.html#ixzz3uK55kbH5 
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