Gemstar-TV Guide and Comcast Spotlight have released the results of a national study that evaluated the level of engagement viewers have with their interactive program guides (IPGs).
The study, by Lieberman Research Worldwide, found that 80 percent of the viewers considered their IPGs a necessity for TV viewing. The survey, which Gemstar and Comcast Spotlight said was the first of its kind in the last five years, also found that three-quarters of the viewers use their IPGs from the moment they turn on their TVs.
With an ever-increasing number of channels and VOD offerings, IPGs allow viewers to find or drill down to the content they want to watch. Comcast’s i-Guide is an interactive user interface that was jointly developed by Comcast and Gemstar-TV Guide.
“These findings are particularly poignant with the FCC deadline for the digital transition looming,” said Richy Glassberg, SVP and director of ad sales at Gemstar-TV Guide. “The future of TV requires proper navigational tools that narrow the vast programming universe into a manageable menu of viewing options to the two-thirds of viewers who sit down to watch TV with no specific destination. IPGs have really evolved from a nice ‘extra’ to ‘can’t live without it’ status, and we should see viewers’ reliance on IPGs grow as powerful enhancements to functionality are built into the guide experience.”
The study also found that IPG advertisements have high response rates, with 50 percent of the consumers who see them taking action. Viewers are very likely to interact with ads placed on IPGs, especially those related to TV shows or sporting events, according to the study. Half of the i-Guide users who noticed IPG advertisements said they clicked on the ad, with about one-fifth clicking on ads at least once a week.
“IPGs have come of age as an ad medium,” said Hank Oster, SVP and general manager of Comcast Spotlight. “They now have the substantiation and support points to show they’ve become portals to television and a true point of purchase positioning for advertisers.”
