METHODS IN BUSINESS RESEARCH – FINAL REPORT

A STUDY ON “The decline in television viewer ship amongst youth,

in favor of downloading content off the internet onto computers –
This is a Karachi based research.”

GROUP MEMBERS

Saad Akhter Ali

Saad Tariq
Aftaab Ahmed
Ghulam Mustafa
 Order of Contents

 STUDY PROPOSAL.

 RATIONALE OF STUDY.

 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES.

 DATA SOURCES.

 RESEARCH QUESTIONNAIRE – 20 Questions – Quantitative & Qualitative Analysis.

 SAMPLE FEATURES.

 THE HYPOTHESIS.

 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY.

 PRELIMINARY INTERVIEW.

 OFFICIAL QUESTIONNAIRE – QUANTITATIVE & QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF

RESPONSE.
 EVALUATION OF FOCUS GROUP FINDINGS.

 IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWS - ANALYSIS & FINDINGS.

 CURRENT TRENDS IN KARACHI : REGARDING INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS.

 RELEVANT SECONDARY LITERATURE SUPPORTING OUR HYPOTHESIS.

 FINAL EVALUATION & RESEARCH CONCLUSION.

STUDY PROPOSAL

“The decline in television viewer ship amongst teenagers, in favor of downloading

content onto computers –“

RATIONALE OF STUDY

The purpose of this study is to identify whether the above mentioned trend actually
exists or not. The acceptance or negation of the hypothesis will be based upon
evaluative findings.

The study revolves around the TV content downloading phenomenon that has gained
rampant momentum amongst the youth of Karachi – especially with the advent of
broadband internet. Today we find more & more young individuals opting to
download episodes of their favorite TV series onto their computers from the internet,
rather then waiting for it to be aired on the television at its prescribed time.

Furthermore, as a result of this downloading phenomenon, the youth today has access
to television programs that are not even aired in our part of the world. We believe that
there is a general rising trend amongst the youth of shifting from television viewer-
ship, to content downloading via the internet, onto their computers – The aim of our
study is to formulate a hypothesis regarding this trend, to study if it exists or not.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

1) To identify all the factors (if any) that are contributing to this migration from
television to internet downloading.
2) To formulate & test a hypothesis which endorses this claim of youth preference
migration – from TV to internet media.

DATA SOURCES

1) Questionnaires
2) Focus Group
3) Internet Articles
4) Print Media Articles
5) Interviewing a representative teenagers sample size
MBR Research Questionnaire – 20 Questions – Quantitative & Qualitative Analysis

Full Name:
Age:
Gender:
Area of Residence:

1) Amount of Data Downloaded per Week ? (In GB’s)

a) Around 1 Gb
b) More then 2 Gb
c) More Then 3 Gb
d) More Then 4 Gb

2) Number of Hours Spent Watching Television per Day ?

a) Less then 1
b) More then 1
c) More then 2
d) More then 3

3) Would you prefer downloading something on your PC rather then watching it on

the Television?

a) Yes
b) No
c) Sometimes
d) Indifferent

4) What is the main advantage of downloading something rather then watching it on

television?

a) More control over choice

b) Can watch it on my own timings
c) There are no commercials
d) All of the above & also ____________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
5) What would you regard as the main disadvantage of downloading something,
rather then watching it on television?

6) When you leave something on cue for download, how do you usually spend your
time waiting for it?

a) I set it on download & leave for school / college / work

b) I set in on download at night and go to sleep
c) Usually I set it on download and carry on normal activities on the pc
d) I set it on download & do whatever I have to do at that time.

7) Are you happy with the download speeds that your ISP (Internet Service Provider)
provides you with?

a) yes very happy

b) The speeds are just okay
c) No
d) Speeds vary from day to day

8) Is there anything that your internet service lacks? Any value added service that you
would want your ISP to provide you? (At no extra cost)? If so, what exactly?

9) The day you buy your own house, would you buy a TV?

a) Yes TV is a must
b) No TV is useless for me now
c) yes TV is a necessary cultural norm
d) Indifferent to TV, I might buy it if my family (to be) wants it.

10) Is there anything that you do not download, and prefer to watch on TV? If so,
what exactly?

___________________________________________________________________
11) If you were given a choice between buying a brand new plasma television with an
international cable connection – getting ALL the international TV channels - or an
extremely fast satellite supported internet connection along with a fast Computer–
what would you buy?

a) New TV + International Cable Connection

b) Very Fast Internet Connection + PC

State the main reason for your choice in one line please :

12) Do you see television as a “soon-to-be-obsolete” mode of entertainment?

a) Yes
b) No way
c) Maybe, can’t say for sure

13) Do your younger/elder siblings, friends, or parents tell you to download certain
episodes of certain programs for them too?

a) Yes
b) No
c) Yes but very seldom

14) Whenever you watch television, what type of channels do you watch?

a) News
b) Movies
c) TV-Series
d) Sports
e) Drama
f) Music
g) Documentary
h) Other

15) Which of the following do you download the MOST?

a) Music
b) Movies
 c) Tv series
d) Software
e) Games
f) Documentaries
g) Other

16) Do you think that television serves as a source of stimulating conversation &
interaction amongst members of ones family?

a) Yes, TV brings family members together, in a way.

b) Not really, no.
c) Not at all – Infact TV reduces family interaction & communication

17) Would you like to have a high-speed-always-on internet connection directly

connected to your TV?

a) Yes
b) No, downloading & watching on my personal computer is more fun & gives
me more privacy.
c) Maybe

18) If your father bought a “Tivo” & installed it in your home, would you download
less content on your pc and watch more “Tivo”?

(NOTE: A “Tivo” is a television set with a hard-disk that can be used to schedule
and record your favorite shows for later viewing – Tivo services have recently
started being offered by World Call Telecom)

a) I would quit downloading completely

b) I would still download content regardless of the tivo
c) I would reduce downloading, but only slightly

Youtube.com is an online video streaming website. People from all over the planet
make their own entertainment & educational videos & upload them to youtube.
Furthermore, it is also a fast growing data base for tv program episodes.

19) In the near future, as internet speeds go higher & become cheaper, do you think
that TV would become obsolete completely?

a) Yes that’s likely to happen.

b) No, that wont happen.
c) I think TV is already obsolete.
20) Last Question, what is more important to you, your Internet connection? or your
TV cable connection?

(You HAVE to choose one)

a) Internet connection
b) TV cable connection

Thank you.

SAMPLE FEATURES

We have decided to distribute the questionnaires to a sample size of 150-200

youngsters between the age range of 13 – 25 years old, who should be studying across
various schools and institutions of Karachi.

The sample will include students from O-levels, A-levels, and Matriculation,
Intermediate, under-grad & post-grad level. We will make sure that our sample is
representative of all the major locales of Karachi (As we will include respondents
from D.H.A , Gulshan, Clifton & Garden). Thus, we plan to get a representative
sample of Karachi youth surveyed.

THE HYPOTHESIS

H0)

“There is a decline in tv viewership in favour of internet media downloading amongst the

youth of Karachi.”

H1)

“There is NO decline in tv viewership in favour of internet media downloading amongst the

youth of Karachi.”

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

-Questionnaire filling followed by their qualitative & quantitative analysis.

-Conducting in-depth interviews of avid internet downloader to gauge the merits & de-
merits of opting for internet media over television.

-Conducting a focus group comprising of 4-5 individuals, to engage them in a discussion

regarding internet downloading & its apparent popularity amongst the youth today
The Focus Group Discussion Dynamics:

- Why does the youth opt for internet downloads?

- What are drawbacks of watching shows on TV?
- What genres/types of media are mostly downloaded?
- In what ways should Internet service be improved by the service providers?

-Distributing questionnaires for filling amongst student batches from O-level, A-Level &
College/Higher level institutions.

-Conducting an additional focus group of a different sample then the first one to gain a
fresher perspective into the issue at hand.

-Analyzing & studying relevant secondary literature available in magazines & on the internet,
including some secondary studies into our report while mentioning the source of the
article/study taken.

Qualitative In Depth Interview Conducted Over The Telephone – Preliminary

Interview;

I interviewed Asim Mehboob (20 year old avid downloader & business student) as a
preliminary qualitative interview , via telephone, to get an idea about the respondent’s
general attitude towards a survey like ours. A series of questions & answers follow;

Give me an approximate figure, in Giga Bytes, of the amount of content that you
download in a week.

Around 1.5 – 2.0 Gb’s

Where does all the data go? Do you keep it on your pc hard disk?

No I burn it all on Dvd’s , I have a collection of quite a few tv series now.

Do you watch tv at all? How many hours approx per day?

Less then 1 hour a day, mostly just sports highlights, cricket football or tennis.

I guess sport is the only reason you ever watch tv, right?

Absolutely, if I could download the match highlights, I would quit watching television
altogether.

Okay walk me through some basic benefits of downloading something on the pc rather
then watching it on TV.

Okay, first of all, no commercials!, secondly, you can download whatever you want, no
channel surfing, if you know what you want to watch, find it & set it on download. Then
theres the flexibility regarding when I want to watch it. If its on tv, I have to watch it there
and then, but if I download something, I can watch it once I am done with all my work.
You missed out something I had in mind.

Whats that?

Well, you don’t have to buy cd’s or dvd’s anymore, right?

Oh yes, exactly, no more buying cd’s & dvd’s for movies, games, software, music, one can
just download it all , all you have to pay is the fixed monthly broadband bill.

What speed is your broadband internet connection?

512kb/sec

And how much does that cost you?

4000 Rupees per month, but my package is the super-fast one, you can get unlimited
bandwidth packages starting at 1500 rupees per month.

That’s true, tell me, having discussed all the good points, do you think internet content
downloading has some drawbacks?

I can’t think of any as such….no

How about the fact that you have to wait for the download to complete?

Yes, that is if you don’t manage your time, like I just set something on download when I go
to sleep or when I leave for college, so by the time I am back, its done! , however its all good
during these winter months here in Karachi, cause we don’t have any power failures during
November to around March/April, so these four/five months are absolute downloading bliss.

Okay so do you tend to watch more television during the summers when we have lots of
load-shedding?

Well … not really, I just don’t enjoy watching TV, not even in the summer months.

Any specific reason for being absolutely against television?

Well its just that, on the pc you can turn up the volume on your headphones & not disturb
anyone, you cant really connect headphones to the tv and sit 8 feet away from it, the cords not
that long.

Okay, got your point. One last question, how should your internet service provider
improve the service further?

Well, we should have a data server, where the users of the ISP can get un-capped download
speeds, faster then international downloads, this is possible, world call has a similar server.
They should upload all the latest movies , songs & tv series on that server for their customers
to download at exclusively fast speeds.
Got it! Thank you so much for your time bro, this should be of great help.
OFFICIAL QUESTIONNAIRE – QUANTITATIVE & QUALITATIVE
ANALYSIS OF RESPONSE.

1) Amount of Data Downloaded per Week ? (In GB’s)

PURPOSE OF THE QUESTION

The purpose of this question was to gauge the amount of data that respondents
download approximately during a week, so as to gain an idea about their frequency &
intensity of internet usage.

a) Less then 1 Gb = 73 %
b) More then 2 Gb = 12 %
c) More Then 3 Gb = 6 %
d) More Then 4 Gb = 9 %

COMMENT ON THE HIGHEST RESPONSE OPTION

Most of the respondents were downloaders who downloaded a decent amount of

approximately 1GB data per week. However, a small fraction crossed over to the 2.0
GB download limit per week. The percentage of 3 & 4 GB downloaders was
minimum, limited to only very high speed internet service owners.

2) Number of Hours Spent Watching Television per Day ?

PURPOSE OF THE QUESTION

This question was asked right after the ‘amount of data downloaded’ question , to gain
a comparative understanding of the respondent preference between internet
downloading & television watching.

a) Less then 1 = 63 %
b) More then 1 = 31 %
c) More then 2 = 4 %
d) More then 3 = 2 %

COMMENT ON THE HIGHEST RESPONSE OPTION

Most of our sample members watched less then one hour of television per day.
However, a point to note here is that most of the respondents who opted for option ‘a’
of this question were males, while most of the people who opted for the 31 % option
‘b’ happened to be females. Hence, a general trend can be illicited from this response
that females are more avid television watcher’s then males, however the majority of
both lie under the ‘2 hours per day’ mark.

3) Would you prefer downloading something on your PC rather then watching it on

the Television?

PURPOSE OF THE QUESTION

The sole purpose of this question was to gain direct, primary source feedback from the
respondent about their choice preference between internet media & television media.

a) Yes = 9 %
b) No = 8 %
c) Sometimes = 75 %
d) Indifferent = 8 %

COMMENT ON THE HIGHEST RESPONSE OPTION

Most respondents opted for option c – being hit 75 % out of 100 % - While the
respondents are not completely averse to the idea of internet media downloading, they
are not overly enthusiastic either – This can be attributed to the fact that the majority
of isp’s in Pakistan offer comparatively slow internet connection speeds & only a
select few isp’s are currently providing speeds that blur the line between internet &
television media. However, with the emergence of new ISP’s on almost a monthly
basis, the internet media downloading trend is likely to gain momentum rather then
slowing down.

4) What is the main advantage of downloading something rather then watching it on

television?

PURPOSE OF THE QUESTION

Getting the respondent’s point of view on the merits of internet media downloading.
This question is quickly followed by another question relating to the ‘de-merits’ of
internet downloading – both these questions serve as a small analysis for weighing the
benefits vs costs of internet media downloading.

a) More control over choice = 31 %

b) Can watch it on my own timings = 44 %
c) There are no commercials = 13 %
d) All of the above & also ________________________________ =12 %
COMMENT ON THE HIGHEST RESPONSE OPTION

Option ‘b’ gained the majority’s favour with 44 %, however, some people might have
avoided the last option ‘d’ in order to avoid filling in the qualitative response blank.
Those who did fill up the option ‘d’ blank, cited the following other advantages of
downloading content rather then watching it on television, 1) Privacy of watching , 2)
Stays in your hard drive for re-viewing, 3) Double benefit under the same monthly
internet bill.

5) What would you regard as the main disadvantage of downloading something,

rather then watching it on television?

PURPOSE & COMMENT ON THE QUESTION

This was a direct follow up to the previous question regarding the benefits of internet
downloading, thus provides use with the other view of the same coin. Furthermore,
this being a qualitative response, illicited a range of responses from the respondents.
The most commonly cited in the questionnaire are as follows;

- Virus prone files

- Slow downloading speeds / waiting times
- Hard Disk fills up quickly / running out of storage space
- Power Failiures in Karachi cause the downloads to re-start

6) When you leave something on cue for download, how do you usually spend your
time waiting for it?

PURPOSE OF THE QUESTION

The purpose of this question was to gain an understanding about the downloading
behaviours & practices of our target audience.

a) I set it on download & leave for school / college / work = 15 %

b) I set in on download at night and go to sleep = 63 %
c) Usually I set it on download and carry on normal activities on the pc = 3 %
d) Set it on download & do whatever I have to do at that time = 46 %

COMMENT ON THE HIGHEST RESPONSE OPTION

It is apparent from these percentages that most people like to download content at
night & sleep it off. This is primarily believed to be the case as most internet service
providers provide half rate packages for night timings, usually from 12 am to 8 am.
Hence staying online in these odd hours is always cheaper.

7) Are you happy with the download speeds that your ISP (Internet Service Provider)
provides you with?

PURPOSE OF THE QUESTION

To get an idea about the respondent’s satisfaction or dissatisfaction regarding his/her

internet service provider – As being dissatisfied with ones internet connection alone
can be a enough of a reason for opting for television media rather then internet
downloading.

a) yes very happy = 12 %

b) The speeds are just okay = 67 %
c) No = 8 %
d) Speeds vary from day to day = 13 %

COMMENT ON THE HIGHEST RESPONSE OPTION

Most respondents seem to be okay with the speeds that they are getting, as only 12 %
are ‘very happy’ with their connection speed. The majority of the internet
downloaders – 67 % - Opted for option ‘b’, indicating that they would definitely want
more speed from their internet connection.

8) Is there anything that your internet service lacks? Any value added service that you
would want your ISP to provide you? (At no extra cost)? If so, what exactly?

PURPOSE & COMMENT ON THE QUESTION

Being a qualitative question, it was aimed at getting some feedback from the
respondents regarding the short-commings of their internet service providers. The
most commonly cited issues are listed as follows;

- No FTP Server (File Transfer Protocol Server)

- Too expensive, should reduce rates
- Frequent disconnections

9) The day you buy your own house, would you buy a TV?

PURPOSE OF THE QUESTION

To gain an understanding of our respondent’s general thoughts regarding the

television & its importance in their daily & future life.
a) Yes TV is a must = 34 %
b) No TV is useless for me now = 5 %
c) yes TV is a necessary cultural norm = 55 %
d) Indifferent to TV, I might buy it if my family (to be) wants it.= 6 %

COMMENT ON THE HIGHEST RESPONSE OPTION

In the light of these percentage divisions, we can say that the majority of today’s
internet savvy youth considers TV to be a mere ‘cultural norm’ A necessary
decoration one oughta have in his/her home just to be accommodating to society.
However, the 2nd highest majority ranks tv as an absolute must with 34 % hits.

10) Is there anything that you do not download, and prefer to watch on TV? If so,
what exactly?

PURPOSE & COMMENT ON THE QUESTION

Being yet another ‘qualitative response’ question, the following common answers
were cited;

-News
-Sports
-Award Ceremonies / Oscars / Special Shows Etc

As news & sports are two forms of television media that are most unlikely to be replaced by
internet media in the years to come. Even though text based news sources are rampant &
easily accessible on the internet, it the streaming video news that is hard to find. Furthermore,
with regards to sports, the latest scores of the the latest matches are easily available on the
internet, but the streaming video of these matches is non-existent. Therefore, these two genres
of visual entertainment are yet to be weakened by the internet’s power, & continue to be the
two core strengths of television in today’s information age.

11) If you were given a choice between buying a brand new plasma television with an
international cable connection – getting ALL the international TV channels - or an extremely
fast satellite supported internet connection along with a fast Computer– what would you buy?

a) New TV + International Cable Connection

b) Very Fast Internet Connection + PC
State the main reason for your choice in one line please.

PURPOSE OF THE QUESTION

This question was designed to indirectly ask respondents about their preference between
Internet and TV, we elaborated the question by asking respondents what latest thing they
would like to have. The high speed Internet and PC or a new plasma TV and International
cable connection. This question also had a qualitative part attached to it in which we asked
the responded to comment by his/her point of views.
Response.

Option A = 17 % Response.

Option B = 83 % Response.

COMMENT ON THE HIGHEST RESPONSE OPTION

• We can see by the response most people responded in favor of option “B” which is a
fast Internet connection and PC, this was one question in which people responded by
choice if they to make one, and its quite clear by results as to what choice they made.

ANALYSIS OF THE QUALITATIVE PART OF QUESTION

When we evaluated the response we found some interesting facts: -
• Most people favored to option B because of privacy.
• More then females it were males, which are a big chunk of that 83% response of
option B.
• More females were inclined towards TV then males hence their share is bigger in the
option, A which is 17%.
• More people opted for option B as they thought Internet was more close to reality and
TV is controlled.

12) Do you see television as a “soon-to-be-obsolete” mode of entertainment?

d) Yes
e) No way
f) Maybe, can’t say for sure

PURPOSE OF THE QUESTION

This question was designed to deeply understand the views of respondents between TV and
Internet, and if TV is losing its popularity in today’s fast paced world or is that just an
illusion.

Response.
Option A = 21 % Response.
Option B = 64 % Response.
Option C = 15 % Response.

COMMENT ON THE HIGHEST RESPONSE OPTION

When we evaluated the response we found that: -
• Most of the people still think that TV wont be obsolete in any time soon, and 64%
response of option B supports this statement.
 • This is also supported by the fact that in our city there are very few fast Internet
connections, hence at the moment people are not really backing the option of Internet
taking the place of TV locally.

Other Assessments: -

• The respondents, who did respond in favor of TV being soon obsolete, either have a
very fast Internet connection or they do not watch much TV.
• Similarly respondents who opted for Option C were not really worried about which
way the trend changes, as most of them were students, some of them who were
working also, hence the change was of minimal importance to them.

13) Do your younger/elder siblings, friends, or parents tell you to download certain episodes
of certain programs for them too?

a) Yes
b) No
c) Yes but very seldom

PURPOSE OF THE QUESTION

This question was design to understand, if the use of Internet was a personal thing or if it’s as
common as a family watching TV together, and at the same time it also assessed the
importance of the use of Internet in a home.

Response.
Option A = 18 % Response.
Option B = 48 % Response.
Option C = 34 % Response.

Comments: -
• More people opted for option B, which states that they do not download for any one
but them selves, this in it self proves the fact that internet use is a private thing and
mostly people like to do there own research or downloading rather then telling some
one to do it for them.
• How ever the response for option A was much lesser which again proves the above
point of view.
• But 34% of the respondents do agreed on the fact that they downloaded stuff for there
elders mostly brothers rather then sisters.

14) Whenever you watch television, what type of channels do you watch?

a) News
b) Movies
c) TV-Series
d) Sports
 e) Drama
f) Music
g) Documentary
h) Other

PURPOSE OF THE QUESTION

The purpose of this question is quite self-explanatory which is to understand what

respondents mostly watch on the TV.

Response.

Option A = 11%
Option B = 5%
Option C = 11%
Option D = 10%
Option E = 19 %
Option F = 40 %
Option G = 3 %
Option H = 1 %

Comments: -

• We can see that the trends of the respondents watching TV are closely matched.
• Still music, TV-series, and drama are the most favored options.
• The most interesting response was of the option, A which was news, specially after
the government banning some news channels respondents were quite blunt in saying
that internet provides the truth more then TV does.

15) Which of the following do you download the MOST?

a) Music
b) Movies
c) TV series
d) Software
e) Games
f) Documentaries
g) Other

PURPOSE OF THE QUESTION

The purpose of this question is again self-explanatory which is to understand what

respondents download most of the time.

Response.

Option A = 35%
Option B = 10%
Option C = 12%
Option D = 10%
Option E = 14%
Option F = 5%
Option G = 4%

Comments: -
• Even in the downloading trend it’s the music that is mostly opted for by respondents.
• Rest such as movies, TV series, Software, and games are almost downloaded in
similar trends.
• This also brings up an interesting fact that both down loader and TV viewers mostly
watch or download music to relax or to entertain them selves, which proves that both
devices are source of good entertainment.

16) Do you think that television serves as a source of stimulating conversation & interaction
amongst members of ones family?

a) Yes, TV brings family members together, in a way.

b) Not really, no.
c) Not at all –TV reduces family interaction & communication

PURPOSE OF THE QUESTION

This question was designed to understand if TV plays any part in a family coming together
and interacting with each other in a positive way.

Response.

Option A = 12%
Option B = 33%
Option C = 55%

COMMENT ON THE HIGHEST RESPONSE OPTION

• As it can be seen that 55% of the respondents believe that rather then improving
family interaction TV is a source of reducing it.
• Even in option B which states no, no reality refers towards the same thing
• So in reality almost 88% of people believe in the fact that TV reduces family
interaction.

Other Assessments: -
• Respondents who answered positively to this question which states that yes
TV brings family together, which was 12% of the respondents, in there case
the setting the there homes was of TV and PC in the same room hence the
family interacted more often then in other cases.

17) Would you like to have a high-speed-always-on internet connection directly connected to
your TV?
 a) Yes
b) No, downloading & watching on my personal computer is more fun & gives me more
privacy.
c) Maybe

PURPOSE OF THE QUESTION

This question was designed to understand, if given an option to people to connect the Internet
to their TV, would they opt for that option or still go for the regular PC with the Internet.

Response.

Option A = 12%
Option B = 67%
Option C = 21%

COMMENT ON THE HIGHEST RESPONSE OPTION

• The response for option B is so high that it removes any doubt as to what most
of the people think of an Internet connection; it’s a private thing definitely as
• most people wont like to have it attached to the TV as its mostly in family
rooms or open and un-private area inside a home.

Other Assessments: -
• 12% of the respondents did liked this option, but in their case it was mostly
students who are living alone, or have TV’s in their rooms.
• The other 21% who opted for option C which states “May be”, these were the
respondents which were not really effected by any one of the option they were
more concerned with the speed of the connection.

18) If your father bought a “Tivo” & installed it in your home, would you download less
content on your pc and watch more “Tivo”?

(NOTE: A “Tivo” is a television set with a hard-disk that can be used to schedule and
record your favorite shows for later viewing – Tivo services have recently started being
offered by World Call Telecom)

a) I would quit downloading completely

b) I would still download content regardless of the tivo
c) I would reduce downloading, but only slightly

Youtube.com is an online video streaming website. People from all over the planet make
there own entertainment & educational videos & upload them to youtube. Furthermore, it
is also a fast growing database for TV program episodes.

PURPOSE OF THE QUESTION

This question was designed to understand, if respondents are given an option to have a tivo
will they quit downloading or will it effect the number of downloads a respondent makes.

Response.

Option A = 5%
Option B = 30%
Option C = 65%

COMMENT ON THE HIGHEST RESPONSE OPTION

• Most of the respondents opted for option C, which says that the number of downloads
made by a single respondent will decrease, but slightly.
• This in other words means that Tivo will have an effect on the Internet usage but not
as much as Internet had on TV’s usage.

Other Assessments: -
• The fact that comes out from this question was the very less selection of option A by
the respondents which states that they will completely quit the downloading. Which
means Tivo is no match for the Internet.
• Similarly 30% of the respondent backed downloading no matter if they have tivo or
not, because of total privacy factor.

19) In the near future, as internet speeds go higher & become cheaper, do you think that TV
would become obsolete completely?

a) Yes that’s likely to happen.

b) No, that wont happen.
c) I think TV is already obsolete.

PURPOSE OF THE QUESTION

This question was designed to deeply understand the views of respondents between TV and
Internet, and if TV is losing its popularity in today’s fast paced world or is that just an
illusion. It’s the same as question 12 just asked in a bit different way so the respondent biases
could be check.

Response.
Option A = 21 % Response.
Option B = 67 % Response.
Option C = 12 % Response.

COMMENT ON THE HIGHEST RESPONSE OPTION

When we evaluated the response we found that: -
• Most of the people even when asked indirectly, think that TV wont be obsolete in any
time soon, and 67% response of option B supports this statement.
Other Assessments: -
• This questions analysis future more concretes the fact that where as TV has taken a
back seat but by no means it’s an obsolete machine.

20) Last Question, what is more important to you, your Internet connection? Or your TV
cable connection?
(You HAVE to choose one)

a) Internet connection
b) TV cable connection

PURPOSE OF THE QUESTION

This question was designed to simply understand which of the two things means more and
which one of the two the respondent give more importance too.

Response.
Option A = 72 % Response.
Option B = 28 % Response.

COMMENT ON THE HIGHEST RESPONSE OPTION

When we evaluated the response we found that: -
• The response was surprising when you look at the evaluation of question 12 and 19,
hence when we deeply looked at our survey, the reason as to why the response was of
72% in favor of option A which states that Internet is of more importance, is primarily
based on the privacy factor.

Other Assessments: -
• The Assessment can further more be analyzed through question 13 findings also,
which indirectly asks the respondent the same thing.
• Again the respondents who replied in favor of option B didn’t had privacy issues as
their living style was far more un orthodox then that of the others. For e.g. they lived
alone, had TV and Internet both in their room, or there usage of internet or TV was
quite less then the others, as they were busy working or studying most of their time in
case of students and young office goers.
FOCUS GROUP FINDINGS

A focus group was conducted in the out-door café lounge of Greewich University. The focus
group respondents were four Greenwich students who all had good internet connections
installed in their homes & were avid internet media downloaders. The video of the focus
group is saved in the CD – Under the folder title “GreenWitch Uni Focus Group”.

EVALUATION OF FOCUS GROUP FINDINGS

-The average amount of data downloaded by our respondents, ranged between 3 to 5 Gb’s per
week, which is a comparatively high amount. This high rate of data download is due to their
maximum utilization of their relatively expensive & fast internet connections – Their monthly
internet bill is greater then PKR 2,500.

-Their internet connections belong to the “Internet Cable & Broad-Band” category, which
offers them broad bandwith & unlimited downloads – Unlike DSL which puts a limit on the
amount of data one can download during a month & also unlike Dial-Up Services , which
provide slow speeds.

-The respondents are not completely oblivious to television. They do watch television
sometimes depending on specific requirements, as cited by them;

-News is preffered on TV instead of newspapers or the internet.

-Sports Channels are opted for on television, instead of getting the scores off the internet.

-Pakistani concert videos are preferred are watched on TV , mainly due to the better sound
quality on tv recordings & the uncertainty about the sound in downloaded files. Secondly,
Pakistani concert videos are not readily available for download on the international internet
servers.

-As far as the forms of media downloaded frequently by our respondents, the following were
cited;

-Computer Software
-Songs / Mp3’s
-Pictures for reports / presentations / research work
-Famous Western TV shows (E.g, The Sopranos)

The benefits of downloading media, rather then watching it on TV, were cited as follows;
-It stays with you / In your hard-drive – For later viewing
-Its quick if you have a fast connection
-No extra cost, download anything you can & you still have to pay the same, fixed, monthly
internet bill.

-Shows that have been missed on Television, can be downloaded & watched at ones own
discretion & ease.

-Downloaded media is ‘portable’. You can carry it in your flash disks in your pocket, share it
with friends etc.

-Having no ‘commercials’ in internet download media was agreed upon as being a valid &
strong benefit.

-The main ‘disadvantage’ cited by the respondents was ‘virus’. As some downloaded files
may turn out to be virus infected – which can harm the software & hardware of ones
computer.

-When asked about the disadvantage caused by frequent power failures during the summer
months in Karachi, the respondents told me that having generators & UPS’s connected to
one’s pc makes the problem non-existent to their downloading needs. Secondly, when
downloading using Lap-Tops, power failures do no harm as lap tops have their inbuilt
batteries which keep the downloads running.

-The respondents are mostly satisfied with their internet connections & the file sharing speeds
that it provides, however when asked about the short-commings of their connections, the only
things cited by them are as follows;

-More speed – for the same money, is always good

-FTP Server (File Transfer Protocol Server – Which provides the customers with a library of
media to choose from & download at exclusive speeds – faster then the international
downloading servers)

-When asked about the potential of streaming media sites (like YouTube.com) to replace
Television completely in the years to come, the following responses were obtained ;

- Yes It has the potential to replace Television, as there is a growing trend of watching
videos on youtube rather then catching them on TV, furthermore, the computer saves
the video links in its Cache memory – as a result, the next time you want to watch the
same video, it loads/streams far more quickly then before.

- Secondly, Such sites are not just serving as ‘streaming media sites’ – instead they are
evolving into a ‘database’ of Television programs. Tv episodes of various programs
pre-dating the 80’s 70’s & 60’s & modern day episodes, are all available for viewing
today.
 Some specific preferences/uses of internet streaming media cited by the respondents are
as follows;

- Comedy Shows
- Pakistani Shows / Old School Pakistani Comedy Show Episodes (e.g 50/50)
- Watching Tutorial Videos For : Audio Production Software

When asked whether they have ever been asked by their family members to download
specific content for them, they responded in negation.

Concluding Comment : Response By The Respondents

- The future of internet media is brighter then the future of television, as the internet is
becoming a database of tv shows which can be viewed at the discretion & ease of the
use, unlike the fixed timings of tv shows.

- There is too much freedom of expression on the internet, as there is no regulatory

authority managing all the content available on the internet – while on tv, a lot of
regulatory authorities keep the content in check. Not having any regulatory authority
on the internet is a mixed plate of good & bad – However, the respondent felt that
someone needs to keep the content in check on the internet as too much freedom of
speech & expression can have negative effects on the general user.

- The internet is an ever evolving huge information database which can provide you
with different angles on the same story – be it news or any important event – it is
easier to get un-biased / cross checked / multi-source information on any particular
topic from the internet, then from the Television.
INDEPTH INTERVIEW – WITH ABDULLAH SOHAIL – A BUSINESS STUDENT &
AN AVID INTERNET DOWNLOADER –

I interviewed three of my colleagues to fulfill the in-depth interview requirement for the
report. Abdullah Sohail is the first of the other two interviews to follow. I interviewed him at
his house / The video is on the CD – Under the “Abdullah Sohail – Interview” title.

EVALUATION OF IN-DEPTH-INTERVIEW FINDINGS

The average amount of data downloaded by our respondent, per month, ranges around 2 Gb’s
plus per week, which is a comparatively high amount.– The fixed monthly internet bill is
greater then PKR 1,000.

-DSL Cybernet Connection

-Linked up with a wire-less router

-The connection is available via Wi-Fi Throughout his house, to any lap-top or pc with the
wi-fi switched on

-When a lot of users use the same connection, the browsing speed is not affected much, only
the downloading speed is effected notcice-ably

-The respondent watches TV specifically for his favourite TV shows (Such as 24), the main
reason cited is that the latest television series become available on the television quicker then
they do on the internet download servers. Furthermore, the downloading speeds he gets is
relatively slow, which results in long download waiting times. Thidly , a lap-top cannot be
left on 24/7 , like a desktop.

-When asked to assume the conditions of having a desktop pc with a faster internet
connection, the respondent opted for downloading his favourite tv series onto his computer
all in one go - & watching them together or at his ease – rather then having to wait for them
to air on TV.

A point to note here is that : A faster internet connection + a desktop pc sharply changes the
preference of our respondent from TV watching towards Internet Media Downloading.

The most common form of media download by our respondent using his current – medium
speed – connection , is mp3 songs, followed by movies.

Respondent’s View : Benefits of downloading content vs Tv;

-Watching at one’ own ease

-Watching content again, as many times as wanted
- Downloading via Torrents is easy once you get the hang of it (Torrents are internet media
libraries, which are illegal in the rest of the world, but due to the absence of any internet
related laws in Pakistan – are easily accessible here)
- No Commercials (Agreed by the respondent as being a valid / strong benefit)

Respondent’s View : Disadvantages of downloading media – compared to TV – Listed

as follows;

-Screen size of computer monitor’s is small, compared to television

-Virus prone files, though the respondent has a good anti-virus installed therefore isn’t too
bothered about viruses

When asked about the short-commings of his ISP (Internet Service Provider) the respondent
cited the lack of an FTP server (File Transfer Protocol Server)

When asked whether he has ever been asked by his family members to download specific
content for them, the respondent cited a few occasion when this has happened however, he
added that its not convenient to download content, burn it on a cd or dvd & then give it to his
relatives for watching on their dvd players – the more convenient option for them would be to
simply catch it on television.

His views on YouTube.com (The fast emerging internet media streaming website)

-Finds the concept of internet streaming media, innovating & exciting

-Visit the site once or twice a day
-Interested in parodies of popular TV series, which are being broadcast on youtube.com as
web-casts or web-episodes (10 minute episodes of independently produced media , free for
viewing & open to all for suggestions / criticism)
INDEPTH INTERVIEW – WITH WISSAM MOHAJIR – A BUSINESS STUDENT &
AN AVID INTERNET DOWNLOADER –

I interviewed Wissam Mohajir, shortly after the above evaluated interview – using a similar
set of questions. The video is on the CD – Under the “Wissam Mohajir – Interview” title.

EVALUATION OF IN-DEPTH-INTERVIEW FINDINGS

-The average amount of data downloaded by our respondent, per month, ranges lower then 1
Gbs per month, which is a comparatively lower amount. The fixed monthly internet bill is
less then PKR 1,000 as the internet connection speed is relatively slow.

- 3 to 4 hours of television watched daily, mainly wrestling programs

- The main reason for increased television watching rather then downloading is the
slow internet speed.

- If he had a faster connection he would definitely be watching less TV & downloading

the content directly onto his pc to watch at his own ease.

- The main benefits of downloading , assuming he be given a faster connection, were

cited as follows;

- Privacy of watching it on your own screen , in your own roo , with headphones so as
to not disturb anyone else in the house

- Storage of downloaded media

- No commercials

Disadvantages Cited – As Follows;

- High speed internet connection needed

- Load-Shedding in Karachi is rampant, therefore downloads can get deleted

- Virus prone files may be downloaded by mistake , harming the computer

- When something is cued on download, he watches TV or go’s out for recreation

- The main short-comings of his internet service were cited as;

1) Slow Speed 2) No FTP Server

 - The respondent agrees that internet streaming media sites like youtube.com, is a new
form of entertainment that is actually substituting television. Furthermore, it can be
used to view a number of programs that have not been aired for many years now, thus
serving as an entertainment database – where you can look up any program of your
choice, from the current media era or the past media era.
- When asked about the potential of streaming media websites replacing TV ; (As
speeds go higher & rates come down) the respondent aknlowedged the potential &
said that the replacement has already begun. Furthermore, he pointed out that, if such
website can offer video downloads besides just streaming, that would be a huge new
improvement – thus increasing its potential to replace TV.

- When asked to choose between a new plasma tv & a new faster internet connection,
he opted for the internet connection adding that it would have far more ‘utility’ for
him & would offer him more ‘control’ over what he wants to watch.

- As a concluding comment, he said that in the near future, as more internet streaming
media websites spring up, internet based ‘channels’ would become a norm & TV is
very likely to be swiftly but completely, replaced.

A QUALITATIVE INTERVIEW WITH AN OFFICE GOING STUDENT

We took a casual interview from Shan Rabbani, a friend, who is currently studying actuarial
sciences and also working at an insurance firm. He came up with some interesting
information and facts.

While asking him general questions regarding Internet and television he elaborated his point
which follows; -

1. He said, average working age is falling which mean more young people at work, and
that means less time at home, (he gave an example) if some one wants entertainment
late at night, when he is free he will more or less download his favorite TV show
rather then keep switching to different TV channels and that is what he himself dose.

2. 2nd point he made was quite a fact he said certain documentaries or clips are only
available on the web due to regulatory issues, this was a very small point made by
him but it’s a fact that most of us go online to find stuff we cant find on TV.

3. Then he quoted an example from a Recent happened as to what happened when the
GEO TV was unplugged, every one who watched TV turned to PC’s to if not see then
listen to the news no matter how fast or slow there internets were. This shows that as
there is no restricting on the web it’s a real free world out there he said.

4. Lastly again a very valid point he made that certain useful documentaries might never
be seen on TV because of such expensive Airtime, but on the other hand may be they
can be easily accessed online by simply registering to a very cheap site.

EVALUATION
According to us Shan made some interesting comments and told some interesting facts,
as he is currently working and studing both we think he was the ideal candidate to
comment on our topic and tell us how it is for a young working student to relate to
internet or TV in his case we can easily say it was the internet which was more favored.

CURRENT TRENDS IN KARACHI : REGARDING INTERNET SERVICE

PROVIDERS

As internet service providers fight it out in today’s internet market, rates will continue to fall
& internet connection speeds will continue to rise. This trend is already evident in our very
own Karachi;

-World Call Communications Limited – Decreased its rates on all its bandwidth packages by
15 % in 2004 due to the entry of competitor’s like Max Com DSL & Cyber Xtreme DSL.

-Early this year , 2007 - World Call & Max Com DSL both decreased their tariff charges by 5
% & 10 % respectively – This was the direct result of entry of PTCL’s Internet Service into
the market, which started off offering similar speeds at lower rates.

-August 2007 – Max Com DSL & World Call, both increased their bandwidth of all “Home
64” package users to “Home 128” , thus in effect, doubling internet speeds for the same price.
This was seen as an attempt to maintain market share , which was threatened by more
competitor’s who were soon believed to enter the market.

-November 2007 – Warid’s Wateen Internet DSL service just recently entered the market &
started offering internet tariffs even lower in price then the current market leaders – yet
offering similar speed & bandwith. What effect does this latest competitor have on the
market players , remains to be seen.
RELEVANT SECONDARY LITERATURE SUPPORTING OUR HYPOTHESIS

Online Video Viewers Prefer News Clips, Shorter Ads

Most consumers - 62 percent - are viewing video online, and contrary to popular opinion
those viewers are not just young adults viewing user-generated videos, according to a bi-
annual video study from AOL’s Advertising.com, which sought to analyze online video
viewing and response to video advertising, writes MarketingCharts.

Most (69 percent) of those viewing videos are age 35 or older, with a preference for viewing
news clips online, the study found.

“The internet is still seen first and foremost as an information resource. With news clips
remaining the most popular type of streamed content, video viewing habits reflect that
status,” said Lynda Clarizio, president of Advertising.com.

“But it will be interesting to see how viewership evolves with the rise of social networks,
more diverse video content, increased interactive gaming, and other such advances in online
entertainment. I think we may see a shift in usage toward recreation; these latest figures
certainly hint at that trend.”

As for video advertisements, consumers accept them as part of the video experience - 94
percent of respondents prefer ads to subscription fees. However, 63 percent of respondents
say shorter ads would make the online video experience more pleasurable.

Shorter spots also deliver higher percent-viewed rates, according to data from the
Advertising.com network.

Other key findings from the study:

• More news, user-generated content:

o In the first half of 2007, 62 percent of consumers viewed news clips online,
followed by movie trailers with 38 percent.
o Music videos came in third at 36 percent, decreasing from 47 percent in the
second half of 2006.

• Tastes differ by age:

o The 18-34-year-old audience prefers entertainment content such as music
videos and TV shows. They also create more online video content than those
ages 35 and older.
o In contrast, the 35 and older audience is more likely to view news.
o Compared with the previous study, 18-34-year-olds are streaming more
movies, TV shows and user-generated videos.
 o Those 35 and older are streaming more sports clips and user-generated videos
than previously reported.

• Complementing TV, not replacing it:

o 51 percent of survey respondents would watch a television episode online if

they missed it on TV.
o However, 80 percent of consumers say that online video usage does not cut
into their TV time.

http://www.mediabuyerplanner.com/2007/08/30/online-video-viewers-prefer-news-
clips-shorter-ads/

Surprise Surprise…TV Viewing Is Declining

Earlier this week I decided to cancel my Comcast (CMCSA) subscriptions, switching instead
to Covad’s ADSL2 service, which is faster, for now. I didn’t even think twice about
switching off my cable service, because frankly with the exception of baseball games and
ESPN, I didn’t really watch regular old TV, opting instead to buy videos on the iTunes store
or watch DVDs from NetFlix (NFLX).

Apparently, I am not in the minority. A new IBM (IBM) survey of consumer digital media
and entertainment habits shows that personal Internet time now rivals TV time.

About 19 percent of those who responded to the survey said they spend six hours or more per
day on personal Internet usage, vs. 9 percent who reported the same levels of TV viewing. 66
percent reported viewing between one and four hours of TV per day compared with 60
percent who reported the same levels of personal Internet usage.

“Consumers are demonstrating their desire for both wired and wireless access
to content: An average of 81 percent of consumers surveyed globally indicated
they’ve watched or want to watch PC video, and an average of 42 percent
indicated they’ve watched or want to watch mobile video,” said Bill Battino,
communications sector managing partner in IBM’s global business services
group.

While the findings shouldn’t come as a surprise to our readers, it is important to point out that
the video market is going through a shift similar to what happened in the mobile world when
kids started replacing their landline phones with mobiles because of the portability. As more
and more people want their video portable, a comparable change is occurring in the video
world. Saul Berman, who focuses on entertainment strategy and change at IBM, noted.

“The Internet is becoming consumers’ primary entertainment source. The TV is

increasingly taking a back seat to the cell phone and the personal computer among
consumers age 18 to 34. Just as the ‘Kool Kids’ and ‘Gadgetiers’(1) have replaced
traditional landlines with mobile communications, cable and satellite TV
subscriptions risk a similar fate of being replaced as the primary source of content
access.”

Other key findings of the survey:

• 24 percent of U.S. respondents reported owning a DVR in their home and watching at
least 50 percent of television programming on replay.
• In the UK, nearly a third of users who watch mobile TV reduced their standard TV set
viewing patterns as a result of new mobile device services.
• In Germany, of those respondents who had watched mobile video, 23 percent said
they prefer to view user-generated content.
• 9 percent of German and 7 percent of U.S. respondents claim to have contributed to a
user-generated content site

http://newteevee.com/2007/08/22/surprise-surprise-tv-viewing-is-declining

Younger viewers abandon TV for the net

The BBC is losing its younger audience to the draw of the internet and mobile phones,
according to the BBC Annual Report. The decreasing numbers come despite the move to
digital, which has increased the number of channels in the market. "Younger viewers have
been lost in disproportionately large numbers," said the report. "When they switch from
analogue to digital they show an increased tendency also to switch away from television."

The BBC website was among those making gains as it saw its online audience rise by 3.1
million to 13.7 million a month. However, the report found that BBC1 and BBC2 saw a drop
in viewers over the past year because of competition from new digital channels.

BBC director general Mark Thompson promised to target the younger audience and teenagers
in particular. The BBC pointed to shows such as Doctor Who and Life on Mars as proof of its
commitment to attract younger viewers
Television vs. Internet
In one corner of the arena, we have the traditional media power, Television. In the other
corner of the arena, we have the newcomer, Internet. Who is going to be the winner for the
hearts and minds of the people? At the present, the landscape for this battle is asymmetrical.
While most households have access to television, only a minority of Latin Americans have
access to the Internet.

We now cite some survey data from the TGI.net Mexico survey. Within this sample of
11,040 persons between the ages of 12 and 64 years old, 11% of them indicated that they had
used the Internet by some means within the last 90 days. Within these Internet users, the
following statement was shown to them: "I prefer to navigate the Internet than watch
television." 25% of them agreed completely with this statement, while 75% choose the other
options: "somewhat agree", "neither agree nor disagree", "somewhat disagree" and
"completely disagree."

While the 25% figure certainly does not indicate a majority, what is more interesting is the
type of person who indicated that preference. In the following table, we show the age/sex
compositions of the survey population, the Internet users and those Internet users who prefer
the Internet over television. As a whole, the Internet users are younger than the general
population. In addition, they are more likely to be male than female. But what is surprising
is the fact that the 25% of Internet users who prefer the Internet over television are more
overrepresented by younger females (32% female 12-24 in the group, versus 17% in the
population and 18% among all Internet users).

% among Internet users who

% in population
Age/Sex group % among Internet users prefer Internet over
12 -64 years old
television
Male 12-19 13% 26% 25%
Male 20-24 7% 11% 10%
Male 25-34 11% 14% 8%
Male 35-44 9% 9% 6%
Male 45-54 6% 6% 2%
Male 55-64 4% 2% 0%

Female 12-19 10% 11% 20%

Female 20-24 7% 7% 12%
Female 25-34 13% 7% 7%
Female 35-44 11% 5% 9%
Female 45-54 7% 2% 1%
Female 55-64 4% 1% 0%

(source: TGI Mexico)

How does that preference become translated into actual usage time? We will show what
happens during the prime time of television viewing (Monday-Friday 8pm-10pm). This table
shows a definitely decrease in television viewing as we move across the columns. The
interpretation of these data should be cautioned by the possibility that the Internet users may
be light users of television even before the Internet ever came around

% among Internet users who

% in population
Usually watch television % among Internet users prefer Internet over
12 -64 years old
television
20:00 - 20:30 58% 49% 45%
20:30 - 21:00 60% 51% 46%
21:00 - 21:30 62% 59% 53%
21:30 - 22:00 61% 58% 52%
TOTAL 70% 67% 59%

(source: TGI Mexico)

While the Internet has not surpassed television yet, the key indicator is that the highest
preference for the Internet comes from younger people. For example, we now have a
generation of young women growing up with the Internet, instead of watching TV.

This younger generation will be brought up in an Internet-enriched environment, and they

will carry their habits and attitudes in the future years. While the penetration of the Internet
is still low, we must remember that this medium has much more network externalities than
broadcast media (that is to say, the utility of the Internet increases for all users when more
people use it due to the nature of technologies such as electronic mail, personal websites,
bulletin boards, chat rooms, electronic commerce, corporate communication, etc). So one
can optimistically feel that time is on the side of the Internet.

Source (http://www.zonalatina.com/Zldata159.htm)
FINAL EVALUATION & RESEARCH CONCLUSION

The following core trends are clear from the interviews & focus group conducted;

-The higher the speed of the internet package installed, lesser the user’s interaction with
television. Television watching is preferred only by those respondents, who have slow
internet connections.

-All owner’s of slow internet connections would opt for internet media downloading over
television – if they are provided with a faster internet connection.

-Internet Service speeds being offered are continuously increasing, & the rates continue to
decline steadily.

In light of all our qualitative & quantitative findings, we can conclude that,

“There is a decline in tv viewership in favour of internet downloading amongst the youth

of Karachi.”

Hence our primary hypothesis holds true.