Scots moving away from paying for TV services – survey

Almost two-thirds of people who responded to a survey about TV subscriptions said they plan to cut back or cancel their services, it has been revealed.

The new study, from research body ScotPulse, interviewed more than 1,000 adults living in Scotland in August.

Respondents indicated they wanted to save money given the increased cost of living, and looked to scale down TV costs.

It turned out 64% of respondents who have signed up to subscription video on demand (SVoD) wish to cut back or cancel their services.

And nearly half (47%) of those questioned plan to spend less on TV entertainment subscriptions, such as Sky, Netflix and Disney+.

When asked for their thoughts on future usage of services, 52% of viewers said they plan to use less paid-for TV services, with 48% saying they plan to use less SVoD services.

This compared with three quarters (75%) who planned to use free-to-view services at the same level, and 14% who planned to use free TV services more going forward.

Kathleen Wiseman, of ScotPulse said: “With the current economic backdrop causing consumers to examine their spending habits, it’s clear from our research that TV subscriptions is one of the areas where people can reduce their costs, with 64% of respondents stating they have or are considering cutting back or cancelling their SVoD packages.”

Richard Williams, managing director of digital at STV, and who commissioned the research, said figures from BARB, which measures the UK’s television audience, show that 73% of all in-home viewing in the first half of this year was to broadcast channels and broadcaster video on demand services, nearly six times the size of viewing delivered by the global streamers.

“There’s room for everyone in this market but it’s clear that in the current climate, the free TV services – with all the brilliant original, high-quality content they offer – should become an even more attractive proposition for viewers,” he added.