Cord Cutting Still Rare; Viewers Struggle With Searching for Pay-TV Content, Rovi Survey Says

TV cord cutting is widely talked about but rarely done worldwide, said survey data from Rovi released Friday. Globally, 3 percent of pay-TV customers have cut the cord, though 57 percent of those surveyed had given "a lot" or "some" thought to doing so, Rovi said. Cord cutting is more prevalent in the U.S., where 7 percent of respondents had done so, compared with roughly 2 percent in China, France, Germany and India, the company said. Searching for content looks to be one of viewers' chief sources of dissatisfaction, Rovi survey data said, since close to 73 percent of respondents said they're “extremely” or “somewhat” frustrated when they can’t locate enjoyable content, and those surveyed average 19 minutes a day looking for something to watch. Of those surveyed, 67 percent said they would be likely to extend their contract, upgrade their service, or sign up with a provider if it offered better search or recommendations, while 51 percent said their content provider should focus on better customer experience with an easier and more effective means of searching for content. In China and India, 90 percent of respondents said they would opt for a provider offering more effective searches or recommendations. Rovi said survey respondents also desire natural language voice-based searches -- 54 percent said they would “definitely” or “probably” spend an additional $1.99 a month for access to a voice command search feature. The survey data came from an online survey of 4,000 pay-TV and over-the-top subscribers in seven countries, with 1,000 interviews in the U.S., and 500 interviews each in the U.K., France, Germany, China, Japan and India, Rovi said. The company announced the survey results at the IBC Show in Amsterdam. It also unveiled new offerings, such as its own natural language search interface, Rovi Conversation Services; its Fan TV software that bundles live TV, VOD and streaming services; and additional capabilities of its metadata product, Rovi Metadata.