Tablet devices are boosting audiences’ appetite for news and transforming the way they consume it, according to new research from BBC Advertising and Starcom MediaVest Group in the USA.
News consumption on tablets is highly valued by owners of the devices:
- 78% of tablet owners say they consume more news than before and follow a greater variety of news stories
- Given the choice, 47% suggested giving up watching sport rather than giving up their tablet news app;
- 44% would give up coffee and
- 44% said they would also give up Facebook.
For tablet owners, the immersive visual experience is the main reason why news has a greater appeal:
- 81% agreed that tablet news apps made following the news more interesting and enjoyable;
- 63% agreed that they made news feel more real; and
- 48% agreed that consuming news on a tablet brought a greater emotional, human element to stories.
These findings strongly suggest that there is more to the appeal of news consumption on tablets than simple convenience; a greater emotional connection and a sense of control over the news gathering experience emerged as key themes in the study. When asked about their tablet news apps:
- 69% of respondents said that knowing and trusting their news provider was more important than before; and
- 63% said they now relied less on news aggregators and more on traditional news providers.
Users of the BBC News App for iPad consistently emerged as the consumers whose experience of news was most transformed by the tablet; significantly more likely to agree that tablets made ‘news stories feel more real’, that ‘tablets make following the news more interesting and enjoyable’ and that they now access news ‘a lot more’ than previously.
A more intimate relationship with news on tablets means new considerations for advertisers. Tablet owners prize visual advertising (85% want to see photos of a product), relevance (78% want ads relevant to the stories they are consuming) and control (81% say ads should not interrupt their news experience). Trust emerges as a key consideration, with 90% agreeing that the ads appearing within the BBC News App for iPad ‘are trustworthy, have credibility and integrity’.
Source: BBC Advertising and Starcom MediaVest Group research studies