The TV viewer’s journey from “There’s nothing on” to “There’s too much choice”

Watching Neighbours at 5:35pm; shouting “quick, it’s starting” to your mum who’s just getting a cuppa from the kitchen ready for The Generation Game on Saturday evening; and flipping through the four TV channels moaning that there’s nothing on. This was the user’s (read ‘my’) experience in the mid-1980s when there were only 4 terrestrial TV channels to choose from.

It took less than 20 years (from the launch of Channel 4 in 1982 to the early 2000s when Sky was expanding, and Freeview was launched) for the transition from 4 channels, to the abundance of channels we have become accustomed to. This was quickly followed by the beginning of mass-streaming services with a rapid growth in streaming popularity by the early 2010s.

During this time, the user’s experience has changed dramatically. There are some clear benefits to the TV world we live in today, some of which include:

• The diversity of content, niche genres, and ability to watch content from across the world broadening our horizons and perspectives.
• Having our favourite shows accessible anytime, anywhere (and not having to wait until 5:35pm to watch Neighbours – FYI, I was at school for the lunchtime showing).
• The ability to more greatly participate with content, sharing our viewing experiences directly from the platforms on social media, engaging with cultural moments as they happen, and live chatting with other fans. We recently conducted research on behalf of the BBC delving into levels of participation with online content across different user types, which you can read about in our case study section.
• Being less likely to complain that there is nothing on (although after Covid many of us did feel like we had completed all the streaming services available).

However, this relatively quick jump from limited options to abundant choices has also negatively impacted users’ experiences in several ways including:

• The abundance of streaming services and content options can lead to decision fatigue. I sit down of an evening to relax following a day of making decisions at work, about what to wear, what to have for dinner, and how to get my kids to their sports. I can often give up on the idea of TV once I realise I have no decision-making battery left!
• Related to decision fatigue is the increase in cognitive load, with the sheer volume of options and features increasing the mental effort required to use these services. Granted, on a Sunday evening in the 1980s I may not have wanted to watch Antiques Roadshow with my parents, but there was no choice so I sat on the sofa not thinking about anything other than whether this lady would make her fortune on an old pocket watch she had found in her attic.
• Searching through a “tidal wave of content” across multiple platforms can make it challenging to find what you are looking for quickly and easily.
• Navigating inconsistent user interfaces with each streaming service having its own UI, which again can differ across devices. Differing naming conventions, icons, and information architectures can cause frustration and confusion when you are expecting to find a movie you want to watch in ‘My List’ in one location when in fact it is saved in your ‘Watchlist’ in a whole other app.
• The accessibility of streaming services has improved in recent years, but there is still room for improvement. Ofcom requires UK terrestrial channels to meet minimum targets for accessibility features, however in practice it is challenging to find services that are truly usable and accessible to all audience groups, especially screen reader users or those reliant on keyboard navigation.

As the streaming landscape continues to evolve, user experience will remain a critical factor in attracting and retaining subscribers. Those streaming services that balance their content with intuitive, user-friendly interfaces will have the competitive advantage in a crowded market.