We here at Acentic, have always conducted research to understand consumer media behavior since it is the only way to ensure that a hotel meets the needs of their guests with the in-room entertainment services. A recent report from Ericsson’s consumer lab entitled “It’s all about the experience” highlighted some of the trends we are seeing within the hotel room http://www.slideshare.net/EricssonFrance/tv-consumer-insights-ericsson-consumer-lab-2010. The report confirms the growing demand for non-linear Pay TV. In the survey over 50% of interviewed consumers watch on demand content every week. The reality is that the consumer is moving away from a wish to own content (i.e. a DVD) and would rather have instant access to it via On-Demand services. The increased usage within the home will therefore make On-Demand even more in demand in the hotel room. The report also dispelled some of the myths we regularly see in our industry. One of them being that consumers wish to view internet on the TV screen. 70% of consumers indicated that their driver for connecting their PC to the TV was to have a larger screen and 67% said it was to make PC content viewing more comfortable, only 15% stated that it was to browse the internet on the TV. We have always believed that the television will remain the main device for viewing video content. This consumer report is just another sure sign that the TV is used for the passive viewing of “moving pictures” rather than the heavy interaction required with Internet. In fact, 93% of viewing time is still scheduled broadcast TV with picture quality remaining the most important feature. Acentic’s research shows that the most watched television program among hotel guests around the world today is still the news.

Before making big changes in the hotel room entertainment, it is important to make sure it is a system that works for the guests. Keeping it simple is key.