Hendin+C+Focus+Group+Report

Hendin C

TO: Video Team FROM: Clark Hendin SUBJECT: Video Focus Group Report DATE: March 29, 2010

Here is my report on a focus group I ran with five college aged males on their behaviors when viewing video entertainment. I was able to cover all five questions our team developed. Most participants reported that they limited themselves to the content provided by their cable provider. While most were satisfied with the broadcast television content provided by their cable service, all participants expressed a desire to have greater access to more movie titles.


 * Focus Group Rationale**

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 45 minute session was held at a cigar lounge on Sunday, March 28, 2010. The male participants were:

Adrian, 21, an American University senior pre-law major; Josh, 22, an American University senior business major; David, 23, an American University marketing major; Jason, 21, an American University junior theater major; Scott, 20, an American University sophomore communications major.

We covered the following three topics during the session:
 * Session Topics**

__Watching television shows if unable to watch live__ Adrian, David, and Scott have a DVR service through their cable provider. Josh expressed his preference for waiting until after a show is broadcast so he can watch it later on his laptop and his convenience. In addition, he mentioned strategy allows him to watch television shows nearly commercial-free. Jason said that he will first check to see if the show is available On-Demand the next. If the show is not available, he will try to find it online on sites like Hulu.com and Fancast.com.

__Watching a movie a friend recommends__ David has a subscription to Netflix. Therefore, he is able to choose any movie he wants to see and the DVD will be mailed to him. Adrian and Scott, David's roommates, check On-Demand to see if the desired movie is available. If not, their next step is to check TVGuide.com/listings to see if the movie will be broadcast. If the movie will be played in the near future on a premier channel like "Encore" or "HBO," they will set the DVR to record. If the movie will not be broadcast, or if it will be broadcast on a non-premier channel, they will ask David to order the movie through his Netflix service. Adrian and Scott expressed no desire to record a movie if it will be shown with commercials and censored material.

Josh and Jason said they only borrow DVDs from friends if they seek to watch a movie not available through their cable service. They said that it was not a major issue if no one has a specific DVD they want to watch. They both mentioned that they simply like to browse other poeples' collections, and maybe borrow a DVD if something catches their eye.

__Impact of high-definition television__ All participants had access to an HD television. They all agreed, for example, that if a movie was being broadcast on a non-HD HBO channel, it was preferable to wait until it was broadcast on the main HBO-HD channel. Overall, watching sports and action movies in HD was a major priority. It was not a requirement, however, to watch sitcoms or slow-action programming in HD.


 * Findings**

The session revealed that the male participants
 * would rather watch a television show in HD with commercials than watch a show their computer without commercials;
 * prefer to have a service that provides the flat rate pricing and movie selection of Netflix with the convenience of On-Demand;
 * feel restricted by the content provided by their cable service, but prefer watching video content on their television instead of on a computer screen.

These findings should be compared with the results from our other sessions with all male participants. The males in this session illustrated their profound enjoyment of HD content. Although web-based video programing provides greater access to many television shows, the quality of high-definition is enough to keep these five males in front of their TV instead of their computer.

Overall, I got the impression that the perfect viewing environment would involve all HD programming through their cable television provider combined with the a near limitless availability of video based content via the web. Essentially, the participants desired a larger On-Demand library or access to HD online content through their television.