A new report from TiVo, the leading provider of personalized entertainment solutions, reveals that only 16% of UK viewers know what they want to watch when they start browsing, with the remaining 84% resorting to "habit browsing." The report highlights the growing frustration among viewers struggling to find content that matches their preferences, with many switching between multiple apps during a single viewing session.

The report also found that the average number of streaming services used by UK viewers has increased from 6.0 in Q2 2023 to 6.5 in Q2 2024. Furthermore, 61% of viewers say they switch between more than one app in a typical viewing session, up from 55% in Q2 2023. This trend indicates that viewers are spending more time browsing for new content and less time enjoying the entertainment they love.

"As streaming options multiply, viewers are facing continued frustration when it comes to finding something to watch, showing ongoing discontent with the difficulty of finding material that suits their personal preferences," said Gabriel Cosgrave, general manager of EMEA at Xperi. "TV manufacturers need to prioritize key smart TV features such as aggregated and unbiased content offerings, and user experience features like hyper-personalisation and natural voice search so that consumers find content they love quickly."

The report attributes the rise of habit browsing to a lack of personalized recommendations. Nearly one-fifth of viewers (19%) say they struggle to find something to watch when they don't have anything specific in mind, and 18% admit to starting, stopping, and selecting something else multiple times during a viewing session.

The report also highlights the impact of content quality and variety on consumer loyalty, with 34% of current streaming service users stating they want to cancel their SVOD subscription within the next six months. Despite the increasing churn, daily viewing time is still rising, reaching 3.8 hours per day. This figure increases to 4.0 hours for viewers with children and 4.2 hours for viewers in Scotland.

The growing adoption of free AVOD/FAST services, such as FreeVee and Pluto TV, is another trend highlighted in the report. 43% of respondents use these services, indicating a rising desire for free content and a high ad tolerance across multiple devices. The report also notes that 27% of UK consumers have started using a new streaming service in the last six months, while 21% have canceled a service during the same period, demonstrating the competitive pressures facing service providers.

Finally, the report highlights the continued appeal of social video content on a larger screen, with over one-third of respondents watching social video content on a TV at least several times a week, an increase of almost 9% since spring 2023.