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Friday, August 11, 2006
Small screen: Not there yet
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Los Angeles Times has featured an interesting series of stories this week on how young people are now consuming entertainment and what does it mean for the industry. The series included an L.A.Times/Bloomberg poll, which found that perhaps some companies are pushing too fast for the attention of tech-savvy teens and young adults.
While young adults and teens are open to the idea of a “third screen” experience — such as watching video or a TV show on a cellphone or iPod — the poll found that there is not as much demand for it as you would think.
The poll found only 14 percent of teenagers said they wanted to watch television on a cellphone, and 17 percent said they would view programs on an iPod.
Why? Follow-up interviews found two major reasons — the cost and the uneven quality, according to the Times. One college student even asked a reporter: “Why would I want to look at a video clip on my cellphone? I’d rather make phone calls on it.”
The poll findings back up other research which has shown mobile phone subscribers have very limited interest in watching video on their devices.
Industry executives believe the day will come soon when this will change, particularly as the technology gets better and the pricetag is cheaper.
Another interesting finding in the series: Traditional media still play a role in how teens learn about the news. There is an “information osmosis” in which teens absorb news from the news programs their parents are watching.
And with all apologies to comedian Jon Stewart, whose show I TiVo religiously, the poll found very few young people actually get their “news” from shows like “The Daily Show.” Only 3 percent of teens and 6 percent of young adults surveyed said they learn about current events through such shows.
Sadly, the series also found that there’s a tremendous amount of youth apathy about the news in general, but that’s a whole separate issue.
