It takes almost six minutes for homes to decide what to watch, according to the findings from a new study. Channel surfing and flipping is nothing new, but the process of finding something to watch can be a lot harder when also having to surf streaming services as well.
Right now, there is no shortage of streaming services to choose from. While subscribing to multiple services at the same time will result in a much higher bill each month, there are plenty of free streaming services as well. Some simply offer access to a library of on-demand content while others actually make it possible to watch linear channels for free.
Regardless of whether a home primarily uses free or paid streaming services, the takeaway is that there is no shortage of options now available and to suit all budgets. And a takeaway from a recent LG Ad Solutions study suggests that all this choice means it now takes consumers 5.7 minutes on average to decide what to watch after turning on a TV.
According to the study, which involved surveying more than 750 U.S. consumers in March 2023, nearly half of all U.S. households “aren’t sure what they want to watch when they turn the television on.” For those that are sure of what they want to watch, it seems 40% of them “are confused on where to find that content.”
As a result of these findings, one of the main takeaways is how the home screen now plays a more important role than ever before. To further highlight this point, the study cited 39% of those surveyed as having used home screen recommendations to find something to watch.
The survey also looks to highlight how consumers are generally cutting down on the amount they spend on streaming services. For example, 46% had canceled a streaming service to save money and 59% were noted as being willing to cancel a subscription after finishing their desired content.
The survey also found that free streaming services continue to prove popular with consumers. According to the data, 63% prefer to stream free content, and while 32% plan to remove a paid subscription in the next year, 21% plan to add more free, ad-supported services to their streaming setup.
