The final results of a six-month trial of mobile television in Oxford by O2 and Arqiva, reveals the 375 triallists spent an average of four hours watching TV, an hour more than was reported when O2 unveiled initial results from the trial at its half-way stage.
As users became more accustomed to the 16-channel service, the location also changed. By the end of the trial 37 per cent of usage was recorded during the daily commute, with peak viewing in the mornings and early evenings. Home usage fell to 32 per cent. Users remained wary about taking out the smart and expensive handset in too public a place. Usage on the street was a mere 1 per cent, with just 3 per cent of viewing taking place in pubs.
Overall, 85 per cent of O2’s triallists said they were satisfied or more than satisfied with it and 72 per cent would take it up within a year of launch – though there was no real agreement on exactly how much they would be willing to spend on it.
News and soaps were the top attractions. News bulletins pulled in a 44 per cent share of viewers, with 36 per cent watching their favourite soaps. In fact, combining football (16 per cent of usage) and other sports (at 25 per cent) made sports programming the second-most watched segment after news.
Broadcasters who fear that mobile television will harm traditional TV, can take comfort from the trial results which show that 40 per cent of people watched, on average, a total of 44 minutes more television each week.
