The Sun Always Shines on TV by Norwegian trio A-ha released in 1985 was a great tune for us Gen X’s, and for Millennials too! It was around about the time when the advertising mad-men were enjoying the heights of their chosen professions and probably even made cameo appearances in the good ol’ Peter Stuyvesant ads … or at least lived the lifestyle the brand was selling.
TV was BIG back then … fast forward almost four decades later and it’s still BIG, literally and figuratively! TV has the somewhat dubious pleasure of being placed in the category of traditional media, at risk of being usurped by all things digital and online. Yet it has managed to keep pace with its online counterparts and remain as relevant today as it was back when Morten was serenading mannequins.
According to eMarketer research 83% of internet users in South Africa watch broadcast TV, and 81% of the same audience watch SVOD (Subscription Video On Demand) such as Netflix. Time shifted viewing continues to become a regular characteristic amongst TV audiences in South Africa, with the majority of internet users having recorded shows in the past month, and almost three quarters of us having made use of services like DSTV’s Catch Up (on demand) feature.
This all confirms that TV isn’t going anywhere soon, and why should it? Many households in South Africa feature a large format TV screen nowadays; not all are Smart (only around 39% of internet users own a Smart TV) however with the leap to DTT (Digital Terrestrial Television) now having transpired, we can expect many more South Africans to start enjoying their home telly in ways they never imagined. It’ll be a small hop into fully digital compatible TV world for them too given the proliferation of gadgets to turn a ‘dumb’ TV into a Smart TV and the ever-increasing spread, and therefore access to a reliable internet connection.
So, what does this mean for the future of TV, not just in South…