Discovery Networks just released in Johannesburg - and supplemented it with a fascinating and special panel discussion of TV industry leaders - a groundbreaking and massive new study in the form of a brand-new report entitled The Rise of the TV Everywhere Audience showing unprecedented growth, change and evolution within the TV markets in South Africa as well as 9 other TV markets across Central Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
The thick 60 page report was compiled from quantitative research carried out by Discovery Networks in the Central Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa region (known as CEEMEA) as part of its Discovery Insights series of special research reports.
For the report TV viewers were interviewed between May and June this year in South Africa as well as the United Arab Emirates, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, the Russian Federation and Turkey. Included was also a panel of 10 TV and advertising experts from across these markets.
The research results are astounding, groundbreaking and fascinating and explores how television and TV viewers are adapting, evolving and growing to accomodate entirely new viewing behaviours in an increasingly connected, digital, social media rich, time-precious and media fragmented world.
"It's an incredibly exciting time for the TV industry and TV viewers who are relishing the greater freedom they have to access and interact with content across multi-screens and social media," says Kaisa Kieli, the president and managing director at Discovery Networks CEEMEA who flew to Johannesburg, South Africa for the unveiling of the special report.
Jonathan Bennett, the director of communications for Discovery CEEMEA did the fascinating presentation this afternoon in front of a room of journalists, stakeholders and TV executives.
As part of the release of the report, Discovery Networks CEEMEA, which reaches more than 175 million subscribers with its channels across this region, presented a fascinating panel discussion with key industry players within South Africa from different spheres connecting to the television business: Aletta Alberts, the head of content at pay-TV platform MultiChoice; Ahmed Tilly, the executive creative director of ad agency Black River FC; and Chris Botha, the group managing director of The MediaShop.
"Young and early adopters show an increasing appetite for new TV services," says Kaisa Kieli. "These will complement existing viewing behaviours so that conventional linear television will continue to remain the central part of media consumption," she says.
The Rise of the TV Everywhere Audience found unprecedented development in the way in which TV viewers not only watch television but are interacting with it thanks to the growing influence of social media in a digital world. Viewers "multi-screen", are rapidly growing in their use of catch-up services, interact through social media with the help of other platforms with TV and content and watch more short-form content.
Not only is TV viewing rising, and continuing to rise in the amount of time spent watching on other screens; the "first TV screen" remains central to people's entertainment and watching experience and the "centre of the house".
