BBC study: quality news important to pay-TV

A BBC survey of pay-TV subscribers shows that international news is still in huge demand and remains an integral part of the European pay TV market. 

BBC World News has conducted a study of 1,500 pay-TV subscribers with access to the channel from five countries across the continent. The standout finding is how important news is to subscribers, Broadband TV News reports.

The survey reveals that having a high quality news channel as part of their package is valued by around three quarters of respondents, and a similar proportion of BBC World News viewers would consider changing their TV subscription if it was no longer available.

The fieldwork, which was conducted for the BBC by RSVP Research Ltd and Vision Critical on viewers in France, Germany, Sweden, Netherlands and Belgium, shows strong demand for international news across all five markets.

Churn is an issue for a number of distributors, but what the results show clearly is that the pay TV audience is committed to news consumption.

Colin Lawrence, Director of Distribution for BBC Global News, said:
“This research shows that the appetite for international news on TV is really robust and that there is clear evidence of audience demand for it to remain as a core part of any pay TV offering.”

BBC World News has seen its weekly reach rise by 5 million to a record 76 million this year.  The latest figures from EMS Europe show that it is one of only two international news channels to gain daily reach (%) and its viewers have a higher-than-average income.