One-third support licence fee for those who watch television on a tablet, laptop or PC
However, according to the survey by iReach Insights, this percentage drops dramatically to just 15% in the 18-34 age bracket.
The study found that almost nine out of 10 people in Ireland have a TV licence but that this drops to 78% for those aged between 18 and 34 years old. Of those in that age grouping who don’t have a TV licence, the reason is that they don’t want to spend their money on it (80%).
The survey found that almost 90% of people aged between 18 and 34 years old think paying €160 a year for a TV licence is too expensive
Unsurprisingly, 94% of adults have a TV in their household and among the younger age group (18-34) 90% own a TV.
A total of 93% of adults in Ireland have or use a laptop or PC, with more than half of the population using online players (TV) on laptop/PC.
When asked “What do you watch on TV?”, 92% claim to watch TV channels.
As with other questions posed, there was a distinct difference among younger people, with only 86% of those aged between 18 and 34 years old stating that they watched TV channels.
Half of adults in Ireland watch online TV players (49%) and on-demand services like Netflix and Apple TV (48%) on their television. This number spikes when looking at those aged between 18 and 34 years old, with 57% watching on- demand service on TV.
This is mirrored when looking at who watches on-demand services on laptops and PCs. A total of 39% of adults in Ireland watch on-demand services on their laptop with this number increasing to 51% in the 18 to 34 age bracket.
In terms of what people watch on their laptops and PCs, 53% watch online players, 39% watch on-demand services and 30% watch DVDs.
A new trend noted among the 18 to 34-year-old age grouping is that they are more likely to go online to watch TV and on-demand services and generally don’t want to spend money for online players (85%).
This age cohort is less likely to own a TV and those who do own a TV are less likely to pay for a TV licence.
“When looking at the new trend among the younger cohort, it seems that owning a TV is becoming less important and online streaming is becoming more popular. Does this mean that traditional broadcaster should shift their focus to online broadcasting?” notes the report.
In May, Communications Minister Denis Naughten dropped plans to expand the licence fee to devices over 12 inches. The move would potentially have seen an extra 30,000 homes facing bills.
