54 percent of Czech viewers pay for watching TV. The average amount paid for services of one of the operators of satellite or cable TV or IPTV is CZK 354 per month. These are the results of Atmedia Index.
“The amount paid for TV most often ranges between CZK 300 and CZK 399 per month. In this range, 23% of viewers paying for watching TV receive TV stations through a pay TV operator,”
says Michaela Vasilová and adds that 35 percent of viewers with pay TV spend from CZK 80 to CZK 300 per month. 42% of viewers with paid TV pay between CZK 400 and CZK 700 per month.
Pay TV viewers appreciate the option to watch multiple stations
The main reason why more than half of Czech TV viewers pay for their TV is the option to watch stations that are not available as part of digital terrestrial broadcasting. Specifically, 43% of respondents (customers of a pay TV operator) state this reason. They also appreciate the catch-up option. This reason is cited by 37 percent of respondents. Other benefits include watching in HD quality (32%) or the possibility to watch TV programmes on several devices at the same time (26%).
“Many today’s TV viewers want to have the option to select among multiple TV stations. They often choose various paid thematic channels focused on a specific genre. At the same time, they want to watch their favourite shows in the best quality and irrespective of the time of the original broadcasting. These changes in TV viewer behaviour have been observable for a long time and Covid-19 has accelerated them,”
said Vasilová summarising the results of the research.
Viewers of free-to-air TV assess the offering of TV stations as sufficient
Although the number of pay TV viewers has been growing, the share has been relatively low compared to other European states. In most European countries, more than 60 percent of TV households pay for TV. Most often, the percentage is about 80 percent and more.
“The main reason why nearly half of the Czechs do not want to pay for receiving TV broadcasting is the sufficient selection of TV stations in the digital terrestrial broadcasting,” says Vasilová. This reason is stated by 71 percent of respondents who are not customers of any pay TV operator and watch TV for free. 63 percent of them mention that they are not willing to pay for TV, 40% think that pay TV is too expensive. Less often stated reasons include unwillingness to address the change in TV broadcasting receipt and concerns about the process being too demanding.
Source: mam.cz
