Skip to main content

Survey: People don’t want to pay for entertainment

cord cuttingA recent study conducted by the Edelman PR group found that the general public doesn’t value entertainment content as much as it once did, and that consumers are increasingly disillusioned with companies that are making them pay for what they can find on the Internet. The firm’s fifth annual Value survey, Engagement and Trust in the Era of Social Entertainment, reveals that US and UK consumer value of the entertainment industry in general has fallen by 68-percent, and a mere 17-percent reported positive feelings.

And we can at least partially blame this disappointment on the various platforms we can now access content from. Television and movie theatres used to have a vise-like grip over digital entertainment, but then along came the Internet. It isn’t only outlets like Hulu and YouTube that are stealing consumer attention; Edelman found that social networking sites are being considered a form of entertainment that people are fairly pleased with. “With so many forms of entertainment, consumers are spreading their attention across multiple platforms – leading to a decline in perceived value in any one format,” Edelman president of Western US region Gail Becker says.

So how can more traditional sources regain their footing? According to Becker, the best policy is to get on board with this division. Appealing to consumers’ love of various entertainment outlets is the best way to reach them. Users want access on their TV screens, from their gaming consoles, via smartphones or tablets, and PC. Given a taste of what this kind of connected entertainment experience can be like, anything else feels like we’re being boxed in.

And providers are catching on. Comcast recently announced it is testing an IP-TV service that brings users a social media element to their viewing habits while also offering up features like apps and personalization. Comcast also has ambitions to stream live programming over the Internet. These types of developments come just in time: A recent Nielson study found that TV set ownership dropped for the first time in 20 years, and cord-cutters are on the rise. The Edelman study also confirmed what we’ve all generally accepted to be true – people don’t want to pay for entertainment anymore. “Paywalls created by entertainment sources for previously free services are being met with feelings of frustration and distrust by users.”

Which makes sense: As a consumer immersed in amazing technology and innovative devices that offer access to entertainment in new ways, it’s incredibly frustrating to have that content blocked or taken away. Not being able to use these products to their full potential is maddening. It’s like giving a kid a piece of candy only to snatch it back before he can open it – and then watching him cry. It’s clearly gotten to a point where a growing number of consumers are willing to simply go without and cut ties with their big providers and search for alternative outlets. But this can’t last much longer: Traditional outlets are losing customer satisfaction and revenue will follow.

Editors' Recommendations

Molly McHugh
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Before coming to Digital Trends, Molly worked as a freelance writer, occasional photographer, and general technical lackey…
How many devices can you watch Sling TV on at once?
Sling TV on an iPhone.

One of the coolest things about live-streaming video is that you’re almost never limited to just a single feed on a single device. But if you’re trying to figure out how many devices you can watch Sling TV on at once, the answer is “it depends.”

Sling TV is unlike its competitors in that it has a couple of base plans from which to choose—Sling Orange and Sling Blue. They have fewer channels (separately and combined) than you’d find on other options, but they also cost less. You then couple them with add-ons (called “Extras” in Sling world) to fill out your plan. And the number of devices on which you can simultaneously watch Sling TV depends on how you put your scheme together.

Read more
We tested them all — these are the best Sonos soundbars in 2024
Sonos Beam Gen 2 soundbar.

If you're shopping for a soundbar, you've probably stumbled upon Sonos. The company is responsible for many of the best soundbars of 2024, thanks to a combination of rich audio, time-tested reliability, and (fairly) reasonable prices. Sonos soundbars are great for home theaters, but they're just as capable of serving as a dedicated sound system for your favorite music, making them a hot commodity among all types of shoppers.

But which Sonos soundbar is the best? Many specs are shared across all devices in its lineup, which can make it difficult to figure out which is best for your needs. Should you opt for the expensive Sonos Arc? Or would you be better served by the affordable Sonos Ray? And what about the mid-range Beam – is it good enough to serve as the anchor of your home theater?

Read more
What is Sling Freestream?
Sling TV Freestream logo.

If you were to ask about the biggest trend in streaming video of late, chances are it’d be something called FAST. That’s short for free, ad-supported television. It’s everywhere. And if you’re looking to watch something without having to pay yet another monthly fee, it’s got you covered.

Sling TV has its own FAST service, called Sling Freestream. As the name implies, it’s free. In fact, you don’t even have to have a Sling TV account to watch.

Read more