Seaton+J+Focus+Group+Report

Seaton J

TO: Proximity video team FROM: Justin Seaton SUBJECT: Video focus group report DATE: March 22, 2010

This is my report from a focus group that I ran over spring break with five college-age males. The focus group contained discussion of some of the questions that the team developed. With the focus group I found that the participants preferred the convenience of watching their favorite shows online, but most said they still get the bulk of their content from cable.


 * Focus Group Rationale**

Premium video content is increasingly being delivered through the Internet, giving Gen-Y many different was 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.

It was a 45 minute focus group session that took place at Roger's apartment over spring break. The participants were:
 * Setting and Participants**

-Roger, 20, a Towson University business management major. -Chris, 19, a Towson University international relations major. -Zach, 21, an accounting major at Salisbury University. -Jacob, 21, an employee at a retail store. -Matt, 21, a Towson University accounting major.

The following topics were covered in the session:
 * Session Topics**

__Which shows must you watch live__ All participants agreed that watching sports live is a must. One participant, Jacob, said that, "Watching online doesn't give you the same feeling as when you're watching it live on TV". Other than sporting events, all five participants said that if they miss their favorite show(s), that they enjoy the convenience of watching through free online streaming sites like Hulu.

__How do you watch the bulk of your premium content__ Every participant was also in agreement in the way they get their premium content, which was through cable. Four of the five participants said that they used DVDs and Blu-Ray players for movies. Only one of the participants, Matt, said that he just used ( name the service ) on-demand service for movies. None of the participants in my focus group said that they used hardware platforms (Xbox and PS3) to get their content.

__Does size and quality determine how you watch premium content__ The response that I got from the participants regarding this question was kind of surprising. Although all of them said they'd prefer to see their content in good quality, they said that if it's something that they really want to see, that they don't mind watching it in a lower quality. Improving the quality offered on some online streaming sites would improve the experience, most of the participants said.

__Willingness of Gen Y to pay for online content__ When I mentioned the idea to charge users to view online streaming sites, the reaction was very negative. One participant, Zach, stated that "no way" would they pay for the streaming sites that are now currently free of charge. Another participant, Chris, said that if streaming sites begin to charge, then they will just make sure that they catch the show when it airs regularly on cable.

From the focus group session, I found that the male participants: - sports were a must for watching live -didn't necesssarily find quality and size too important -hardware platforms weren't being used among the focus group -still just use cable for their video content -weren't ready to pay for online streaming content
 * Findings**

The findings from this focus group session should be compared to the findings from other sessions. These findings show that cable still hasn't lost its popularity to some of the newer, more-convenient streaming sites. Although cable is remaining strong, the online streaming sites are also growing in popularity, and the focus group made it clear that they will not pay for online streaming content.

Add a little more to your findings and change the session topics headings into topic statements not questions.