‘Alternative video’ services more satisfying than pay TV: study

Non-traditional TV subscribers, such as those who use over-the-top (OTT) services, are more satisfied than those with traditional pay-TV subscriptions, a new J.D. Power survey suggested. Customers who participated in the company’s 2017 Canadian TV Provider Customer Satisfaction Study rated their satisfaction with the overall experience of alternative video services as a 7.58 on a 10-point scale, compared to a rating of 7.04 for traditional pay TV service, J.D. Power said in a Thursday release. Overall satisfaction with service providers was based on performance and reliability, cost of service, programming, communication, billing, and customer service. The study also suggested that 27 per cent of pay-TV subscribers are unsure of or planning to drop their service in the next 12 months. “While our data does not signify a mass exodus over the short term, TV subscribers are increasingly experimenting with — and liking — alternative streaming video options,” Adrian Chung, director at J.D. Power, said in the release. “The biggest concern for the cable industry should be the highly favorable customer satisfaction scores that alternative video services are receiving relative to traditional pay TV. The availability of faster network speeds stands to further fuel this shift in viewing preferences.” The release, which also highlighted results of the company’s Canadian Internet Service Provider (ISP) Satisfaction Study, said Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron received the highest marks for overall TV and Internet service satisfaction in the east for the fifth year in a row. Videotron was followed by the second-ranked Shaw Communications Inc. and Cogeco Inc. for TV-service satisfaction in eastern Canada, while Cogeco took second place for ISP satisfaction, followed by Bragg Communications Inc.’s Eastlink, which took the third spot. In the west, Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. took the top spots for both TV and ISP satisfaction for the fifth time. Telus Corp. and the now BCE Inc.-owned MTS ranked second and third, respectively, for TV service. Telus also ranked second in the west for ISP satisfaction, while Shaw placed third. The TV satisfaction study was based on 9,308 TV customers conducted from September to October 2016 and March to April 2017, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.68 at a 90-per-cent confidence level. The ISP study was fielded during the time period to 9,2017 Internet customers and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 at a 90-per-cent confidence level.

‘Alternative video’ services more satisfying than pay TV: study

Brief | June 8, 2017

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‘Alternative video’ services more satisfying than pay TV: study

Brief | June 8, 2017

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