Manufacturers beware: Just 23% of consumers prefer to watch TV shows on TVs

Despite trends heading in the other direction, research has shown that viewers prefer watching TV shows on actual TVs.

Not anymore.

According to findings from Accenture’s 2017 Digital Consumer Survey there has been a 52% drop year over year (to just 23%) in consumers who prefer watching this content on TVs. This is a major shift from the 2014 survey, when 65% of consumers said that they preferred watching shows on TVs

26,000 consumers across 26 countries were surveyed, with 42% saying that they would rather view shows on a laptop or desktop – a 32% increase year over year; 13% said that they prefer to watch shows on mobile devices, up from 10% in last year’s survey.

“The dominance of the TV set as the undisputed go-to entertainment device is ending,” said Gavin Mann, global managing director for Accenture’s broadcast business. “While a great number of people still watch plenty of TV shows on TV sets, our research uncovers a rapid acceleration in their preference for viewing on other digital devices — especially laptops, desktops and smartphones.”

There were especially dramatic declines in India, the U.S., and the U.K. Last year, 47% of viewers in India said they preferred watching on TVs – this year, just 10% said that they preferred this medium. In the U.S. the percentage dropped from 59% to 25%, and in the U.K. the percentage dropped from 56% to 25%.