HR2009-05 TV is not for watching program?! How to use a TV

Background of the study

After complete transition to terrestrial digital broadcasting in July 24th of 2011, although the decision on what to do with radio band, which has been used for analog broadcasting until then, is not yet made, there is a possibility in increase of TV program channels.
Even now, other than already terrestrial digital broadcast, there are BS, CS and cable TV, a multiplicity of channels that are broadcasting at the same time. Also because it also displays DVD, game and sometime PC screen, recent TV cannot just see as broadcast receiver, but can be seen as a multipurpose display.

There is no guarantee that busy person of today will be setting in front of TV when one's favorite program is on. I, myself, will tentatively take video of a program I want to watch, and will watch it later. Once I get used to video tape TV programs, I start to think that this way, which I can not only watch the program at any time, but also can rewind, forward and pause, is more rational than to watch the program broadcast in real-time.
In PC world, video contents such as YouTube has appeared on the scene, and is receiving popularity. This is also a service which users can watch the contents at any time.

When come to think of it, it seems that with multipurpose display of TV itself and users' desire to watch the video contents at own pace, there will be gradual decrease in person who watch real-time broadcast program, and increase in person who watch other contents. In this month's HI report, we have looked at this assumption with the perspective of "Usage of TV".

Research method

We have asked to those people who have registered with us as candidates for participants, as well as our company staff to answer the questionnaire regarding their TV usage.

(1) Viewing hours of real-time broadcast
(2) About following TV usage, how much opportunities of use has increased in this 5 years?

Watch real-time broadcast (on-air program at the time, includes cable TV)
Run the program taped by oneself
Play rented or purchased DVD/BD/video tape etc.
Watch on-demand video delivery service for TV
* It is the service that provides videos by Internet line etc., and be able to select the program one wants to watch regardless of the airtime. Those are Hikari TV, Hikari-one TV service,acTVila, GyaO NEXT etc.
Watch pictures taken with video camera.
Watch pictures taken with digital camera (still and moving image)
Use as a game console screen
Use as a PC screen.

(3) In percentage, how much do you use of each TV usage showing above?

The respondents

We had male and female of 19 to 77 years old, total of 79 respondents for this study.

Viewing hours for real-time broadcast

When we asked their real-time broadcast viewing hours per week, regardless of analog broadcast and digital broadcast, the average response from 77 valid responses was 18.0 hours/week. However, when we looked at the percentage per viewing hour, the result showed as below, and we found out that nearly half of respondents view real-time broadcast for less then 10 hours per week. When think about it as about 1.4 hours per day, it can construe as unexpectedly low.

Increase and decrease of utility time on TV.

Well then, are the viewing hours of real-time broadcast increasing or decreasing?
For various uses of TV, when we asked about their change of utility time in last 5 years, the result showed as the following. For real-time broadcast, there were more people who responded, "decrease" than "increase", however we could not see much difference. The reason why the number of "increase" is relatively high is because it is "the program taped by one". It is because there are more people who take viewing style of tape and watch the program instead of watch it in real-time, but it seems not a decisive one as expected.
Also, we do not see noteworthy change in "on-demand video delivery service for TV", which draws attention as future video delivery offering method, either.
Surprisingly, the result showed slightly much "decreased" in "watch images taken with video camera" and "use it as a screen for game console".

Percentage of utility time on TV

As a matter of fact, how much real-time broadcast accounts for the utility time on TV?
The below chart shows the average of 79 valid responses, which can explain how much and in what usage are the average users use their TV. The real-time broadcast takes over 60% of utility time on TV, while the rest follow as, program recorded oneself (22%), rented or purchased DVD/BD/video (9%) and use it as a game console screen (4%).
Although the real-time broadcast, which is the primary function of TV, is rather low with no more than 60%, it also shows the new usage such as, on-demand video delivery or air pictures of video camera or digital camera, is not taking over much either.

Characteristic person

Well, is there not a person who actively uses TV for the purpose other than real-time broadcast viewing, which I have imagined at the first place? The above result shows average of 79 persons after all, but it also includes persons who hardly watch real-time broadcast.
Here, we bring out data of 6 from 79 people who use TV more for other purpose than to watch real-time broadcast.

[Ms. A age 35/Female]
She only watch real-time broadcast and the program recorded oneself, but 95% of total is recorded program. For my own part, since I watch recorded program a lot, this is very convincing lifestyle.

[Ms. B age 32/Female]
She is a subculture of rented or purchased DVD/BD/video. However, she also uses 40% of her TV use to view real-time broadcast.

[Ms. C age 33/Female]
She is a future-minded (?) person who uses on-demand video delivery service for 35.7 % of total used hours. Since she mostly use TV for image delivery or DVD, her real-time broadcast viewing hours is low as 28.6%.

[Ms. D age 42/Female]
She uses TV to air the pictures taken with video camera, or use it as PC screen. She does use TV for various purpose, but only 10% for real-time broadcast viewing.

[Ms. E age 64/Female]
She watch pictures from digital camera on TV more than real-time broadcast.

[Mr. F age 38/Male]
He uses 40% of his TV use to display his game console. However, other than use as a game console screen, he watches real-time broadcast.

Although these 6 people are in no matter the majority, we can say that they are showing the possibility of future TV usage.

Impression

On the initiation of this research, I have been assuming that the usage of real-time broadcast is becoming substantially low. However, when look at the result, lot more real-time broadcast are being watched, which give me a bit of anticlimax feeling.
However, it shows that some people are using TV actively for different purposes other than receiving real-time broadcast. I am not sure how much those usages will become standard, but both buyers and makers of TV may better to throw their stereotype of "TV is an instrument to watch real-time broadcast" away, and reconsider what one wants to show and see on TV.