UK television viewers expect access to high-quality programmes on the internet, smartphones and tablets. But they are reluctant to pay for such digital content, according to University researchers.

And despite myriad ways of accessing content and watching TV, viewing is still during ‘traditional’ primetime periods.

There is also a lack of value attached to digital ownership, with a reluctance to pay for digital copies of programmes as alternatives to DVDs and box sets. Viewers who access content illegally cite the price of cinema tickets and DVDs, and ‘windowing’ — the restriction of access to programmes such as Game of Thrones — as legitimate reasons for downloading TV illegally.

Services like the BBC iPlayer and apps which allow content to be viewed on phones have transformed the consumption of film and TV. Connected Entertainment UK — a study carried out at the University’s Department of Culture, Film and Media — examined how viewers interact with these ‘connected viewing services’.

The research was carried out through the Media Industries Project at the University of Santa Barbara’s Karsey-Wolf Center and funded by Warner Brothers’ digital distribution arm.

It found that free catch-up TV services offered by public service broadcasters such as the BBC iPlayer and Channel 4’s 4OD were, unsurprisingly, the most popular sources of online viewing in the UK. From 2001 to 2011, the audience share of the five main television networks (BBC 1 and 2, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5) declined from 80.5% to 53.7%, but, per month, the iPlayer averages more than 140 million requests for television programmes and 4OD attracts an average 43 million views, suggesting these broadcasters have successfully transposed their brands to the online environment and are developing new audiences.

While the ethos of public service television and the loyalty of its audience has carried into the online universe, its association with free and universal access may also influence reluctance to pay for digital content.

“The iPlayer and 4OD are both services that articulate the public service ethos. The concept of free and universal access is ingrained in the way that we consume entertainment,” said Paul McDonald, Professor of the Creative Industries at the University. “Couple this with the philosophy of the internet — freedom of access to information — and you have a structure where it is unsurprising that viewers are reluctant to pay for content that they feel they are entitled to.”

Dr Liz Evans, lecturer in Film and Television Studies, added: “The challenge for the big entertainment producers and distributors is to understand how consumers access content and what they would be prepared to pay for — and in what formats. Forays into ‘cloud access’ to film and TV content through providers such as UltraViolet have made little impact so far in the UK. Advertising-supported services like 4OD work for TV content, but might not work for film. In the meantime, the appetite for content is such that people will continue to download content illegally.”