In the big picture, the small screen doesn’t appear to be the next big thing

PUBLISHED: August 13, 2006 at 1:00 AM CDT | UPDATED: August 21, 2021 at 2:35 PM CDT

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Before Kaitlyn Brown headed to church camp this summer, her mother outfitted the 13-year-old with a sleek new Sprint phone that boasts one of the newest features on the market: mobile television.

“Me and my mom thought it would be a cool thing,” said the soon-to-be 7th grader, who lives in Spring Branch, Texas. But after watching a couple of jerky transmissions of comedy clips on the phone’s display panel, Brown quickly became disenchanted.

“It kept stopping midstream and stuff,” she said. “I didn’t really like it, so I took it off. It was extra money, and I didn’t think it was worth it.”

Entertainment purveyors may be scrambling to package their content into mobisodes, video downloads and podcasts, but the Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll found that teens and young adults — the generation most likely to be the early adopters of this new technology — have yet to fully embrace it.

About half of young adults and 4 in 10 teenagers said they were uninterested in watching television shows or movies on computers, cell phones or hand-held devices such as video iPods, the poll found.

While more than two out of five teens and young adults indicated they were open to viewing this kind of content online, only 14 percent of teenagers said they wanted to watch television on a cell phone, and 17 percent said they would view programs on an iPod.

Forward thinking

The findings suggest that networks are rushing to package content for these new platforms before even tech-savvy young consumers are hankering for the “third screen” experience.

The survey, which asked a wide range of questions about entertainment consumption, highlighted the pervasive influence of television particularly on tween girls, a majority of whom reported that TV shows affected their dress, speech, music preferences or social activities. In addition, it found that a high number of teenagers and young adults gleaned news from traditional media sources such as local television and network newscasts — for many through a sort of information osmosis as they absorbed news from programs their parents were watching.

Perhaps most intriguing, however, was the indication of a widespread indifference toward small-screen viewing among teenagers and young adults. While many in the industry expect the demand for such content to rise dramatically in the coming years, the poll offered clues to a consumer reluctance that first must be overcome.

In follow-up interviews with those surveyed, many young people said they were intrigued by the notion of getting their entertainment on devices such as cell phones and iPods. But two major obstacles have so far dampened their enthusiasm: the cost and the uneven quality of the experience.

‘A needless expense’

“It just seems like a needless expense to me,” said Mark Lopez, a 23-year-old political science major at Cal State Fullerton. “And I would think it would be grainy and not as clear of a picture. My choice would be to watch something first on TV, or TiVo it.”

Steven Jagodzinskiv, a 21-year-old computer science student in Baltimore, is a fan of cartoons such as “South Park,” which would seem a natural fit for mobile viewing. But he said the idea seemed “pointless.”

“Why would I want to look at a video clip on my cell phone?” he said. “I’d rather make phone calls on it.”

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Young people aren’t alone in their slow embrace of the small screen. Recent studies by several independent research firms indicate that only about 1 percent to 3 percent of mobile phone subscribers watch videos on their phones.

But media executives are confident that the appetite will increase once the technology improves and the price for hand-held devices drops. They note that while young people may be reluctant to watch full-length feature films or even 22-minute television shows on small screens, they may be more interested in viewing short clips, a kind of “snack TV.”

That’s why the major entertainment companies are developing a slew of original content for the third screen.

“If you look across the media companies, digital generally represents about 5 percent of their revenue and 50 percent of the questions on their quarterly earnings calls,” said George Kliavkoffv, who recently was appointed NBC Universal’s first chief digital officer. “The reason is the future of connecting with customers is going to be figuring out the ways to give them what they want, on the devices they want, when they want it.”

Interestingly, 12- to 14-year-old girls showed the greatest eagerness about small-screen viewing, with 20 percent of those surveyed open to watching television shows on cell phones and nearly a quarter interested in checking out programs on iPods.

“I think it’s really cool, and I would love to have it,” said 14-year-old Katie Stears of Jamestown, Ky., who has pleaded with her parents for a video iPod. “You don’t have to always be at home to watch TV.”

Television clearly has a strong hold on teenagers, who spend a substantial amount of time glued to the screen. About two-thirds report that they watch two hours of television or more on an average weekday, with nearly a quarter watching for more than four hours.

Making an impact

Teen girls ages 12 to 14 appear to be the most affected by what they’re seeing. Almost two-thirds reported that television has influenced their behavior in some way, whether it’s how they talk, what they wear or what they buy.

For many — especially teen girls 12 to 14 — the popular shows, such as MTV’s “The Hills,” provide a universal lingo understood all over the country.

Brittany Thornton, a 14-year-old in Screven, Ga., said that she and her friends buy the kind of logo shirts they see teenagers wearing on shows such as MTV’s “Laguna Beach” and sprinkle their conversation with phrases like “freakin’ idiot” made popular by fictional Idaho high school student Napoleon Dynamite.

For their part, a large share of young adults appear to be turning to broadcast television for their news. According to the poll, 38 percent said they got their best information about current events from local newscasts and 19 percent said it came from broadcast network news.

Despite the widespread belief that a sizable number of young people get their news from satirical programs such as Jon Stewart’s “The Daily Show,” just 3 percent of teenagers and 6 percent of young adults surveyed said that’s how they found out about current events.

Young adults still make up a small fraction of the local television news audience in many markets.

In Los Angeles, just about 4 percent of the 2 million people who tuned into local evening and late night news in May were 18 to 24, according to Nielsen Media Research. In Chicago, the share of young adults was just 2 percent. But local newscasts preceded by programs that appeal to young viewers definitely reap the benefits. Almost 10 percent of KTTV’s audience in Los Angeles and 8.5 percent of the viewership of Fox affiliate WFLD in Chicago were ages 18 to 24 in May, when young viewers flocked to the finales of popular shows such as “American Idol.”

Traditional newscasts

Even many teenagers appear to pick up on news through traditional newscasts. Almost 30 percent of the 12- to 17-year-olds said that local television news was their best source of information about current events, with an additional 16 percent choosing network news.

In interviews, though, many teens said they didn’t actively seek out the newscasts — they’re simply exposed to them because their parents or other relatives have the programs on at home. Still, even if they aren’t actively engaged in watching the broadcasts, many seem to absorb the news through a sort of information osmosis.

“Some of the reports can be interesting,” said 12-year-old Megan Casper of Idaho Falls, Idaho, who said her mother usually turned on the news in the evening.

“It’s kind of cool to be able to figure out, like, some of the things going on in different countries.”

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Small screens don’t rule

Q: On which of the following devices would you want to watch a movie? (Multiple answers allowed.)

Computer

AGES 12-17 47%

AGES 18-24 45%

Cell phone

AGES 12-17 11%

AGES 18-24 6%

Video iPod or similar device

AGES 12-17 18%

AGES 18-24 9%

I would not want to: Watch a movie on any of the above screens

AGES 12-17 387%

AGES 18-24 48%

Q: On which of the following devices would you want to watch a TV show? (Multiple answers allowed.)

Computer

AGES 12-17 42%

AGES 18-24 40%

Cell phone

AGES 12-17 14%

AGES 18-24 9%

Video iPod or similar device

AGES 12-17 17%

AGES 18-24 7%

I would not want to: Watch a TV show on any of the above screens

AGES 12-17 43%

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AGES 18-24 51%

Q: Where are you getting your best information about current events these days, or don’t you follow current events? (Two answers allowed, selected responses shown.)

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