Kapnek+J.+focus+group+report

Kapnek J

TO: Video Team FROM: Joshua Kapnek SUBJECT: Video Focus Group Report DATE: March 25, 2010

Here is my report on a focus group I ran with five college age adults on their concerns about Sony’s PS3/Blu-ray player and streaming premium video content online. I was able to cover in depth four of the five questions developed by our team. Most participants reported they do not watch many shows live on prime time and that they do not prefer the PS3 to watch Blu-ray or play video games.


 * Focus Group Rational **

Premium video content is increasingly being delivered through the Internet, giving Gen-Y many different ways to access TV shows and movies. As a result broadcast TV audiences are being fragmented and the movie industry can no longer assume that box office revenues alone will pay for the production of new movies. The rationale for our focus group sessions is to determine how Gen-Y currently watches premium video and which broadband technologies they prefer. This information will allow us to advise Proximity clients on how best to target Gen-Y using ads associated with premium content.


 * Setting and Participants **

The 75 minute session was conducted on Saturday, March 20, 2010 at my house Baltimore City. The college age participants were: · Lauren, 23, a Coppin State University senior nursing major; · Jordana, 27, a recent Towson University graduate of the business school; · Jason, 26, a Harford Community College graduate of computer programming; · Chris, 24, a Towson University senior business major; · David, 21, a Maryland Institute College of Art junior fine arts major.


 * Session Topics **

We covered the following four topics during our discussion: __Which shows are watched live and why __ Most of the participants agreed that sporting events are the only shows that they must watch live. Lauren said, “I record most of the prime time shows I enjoy, but I have to watch my Ravens live!” The other participants laughed and agreed vigorously as David stated, “There is no comparison to live football, you can’t record sports, it’s just not the same.” __How is most video content watched __ <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">For the most part, participants used a variety of sources to obtain premium content. Lauren said, “I buy some Blu-rays for my Blu-ray player, subscribe to Netflix, and watch shows through broadcast TV.” Jordy and Jason said they, “do the same, but also stream Netflix through the Xbox” and Chris jealously stated, “I wish I’d bought Xbox… I just have a Wii.” Then David chimed in, “at least you have that, I just watch through Comcast and an old DVD player!” __<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Size and quality of the screen __ <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">This topic raised no disagreements from any of the participants. Lauren said she owns, “a sweet 47” LCD flat screen”, Chris said, “I also have a LCD flat screen, but it’s a 36 inch”. Jordy and Jason both had flat screen plasmas of different sizes. Finally, David sighed and said, “My TVs fifteen years old”. However, their differing television selections did lead them all to one conclusion, “A large, high definition flat screen is the way to go” (Jason). __<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Cable Companies and various platforms __ <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">The participants varied in the answer to this topic. Three were Comcast cable subscribers, while Lauren and Chris use Direct TV. Jordy and Jason both watch through an Xbox, Jason and Lauren have a Blu-ray, and Chris and David have regular DVD players. Jordy stated, “I love Comcast and I really enjoy the fact that I can stream Netflix through my boyfriend’s Xbox.” David disagreed by saying, “Comcast is so expensive though, I might switch to Direct TV” and immediately Lauren said, “NO! Direct TV is terrible, I had Comcast and switched a few months ago, huge mistake. And I’m only saving six dollars a month.”


 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Findings **

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">The session revealed that college age adults: · <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">do not watch live television shows anymore except sports; · <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">do not stream much from online sources except Netflix; · <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">think screen size and quality is an important component; · <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">do like the quality of Blu-ray and the fact that Xbox connects to Netflix readily; · <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">do not use or consider PS3 to be a valuable console.

The results found should be compared to the findings from other focus sessions. Even though the participants in this focus group do not use a PS3 or stream content from the internet, there may be many individuals that do. Additionally, technology is changing and improving every day leading to a growing interest of online streaming. The attitudes and responses from this focus group suggest that switching to online streaming will occur as the speed, ease, quality and user interface improve.