You're reading it here first.
The first tentative market research and empirical data on South African TV viewers and how they use personal video recorders (PVR's) are trickling out for this new TV technology - and I've got it.
With MultiChoice's PVR technology (its PVR and HD PVR decoders), as well as On Digital Media's (ODM) TopTV set to debut a PVR functionality in 2011, marketers, advertisers and TV channel execs are all wondering: How - and to what extent - will this new technology impact on South Africa's television industry? What impact will the PVR make on Time Shifted Viewing that allows viewers to watch live television ''delayed'', record and watch shows later, and enable viewers to fast forward over content?
I can tell you that currently the PVR's impact in terms of Time Shifted Viewing is still seen as ''minimal'' by TV channels, platform providers and TV ad buyers according to the latest research. South Africa's TV viewership universe currently works on a number of 305 000 TV households with access to a PVR. That represents 14% of the total satellite pay TV audience in South Africa, and just 3% of the overall TV audience in the country.
The interesting table graph above spans the length of the recent 2010 FIFA World Cup from mid June to mid July (click on it and it will open bigger). It indicates the recorded viewership of the various World Cup matches on the various days on SuperSport 3 over the course of a 30 day period in 100 000's. The blue parts indicate what audience was added to the overall viewership total on SuperSport 3 because of PVR use and Time Shifted Viewing. According to AGN Nielsen Media Research, viewers used their PVR towards the beginning, not really in the middle, and then again towards the end - and in minimal fashion. What is shows is that South African TV viewers (still) prefer to watch sport events (like soccer) live. In PVR homes in South Africa, only 2,2% of all viewing time related to the World Cup soccer matches on SuperSport 3 included Time Shifted Viewing.
Other interesting new PVR information is that PVR use climb steadily between 16:00 to just after 20:00 daily when it starts to drop off sharply again. PVR use and Time Shifted Viewing can add up to 12% more viewers to sitcoms (meaning sitcoms are the TV genre in South Africa that viewers feel most comfortable with to record to watch later). That's followed by 9% added viewers for variety programming and 6% for dramas. Interestingly enough PVR use only adds a measly 2% to TV soaps. That's probably because viewers realize they have to watch it immediately or they'll fall behind (since there's a new episode the next day), or simply opt to miss a particular soap episode entirely and to catch up with the highly repetitive storyline the next day.
