Customers in UK are readier to eat less than not to pay for digital media

According to a new report from media regulator Ofcom, Britain's recession-hit consumers are looking to save money on communications and media but are still willing to pay for services that enhance the experience, such as digital video recorders, high definition television and mobile broadband. The report says that Britons are shopping around more, signing long-term contracts in exchange for cheaper payments, and bundling services such as TV, phone and telephony.

Ofcom's Communications Market Report showed that in the first quarter of 2009, 46 % of consumers took a bundle with two or more services from one operator, such as pay TV groups BSkyB and Virgin Media, up from 39 % a year earlier. Besides, some 70 % of users said they would rather retain their existing handset than upgrade if it meant a cheaper deal.

Furthermore, the report said that more than a quarter of UK homes had a digital video recorder, while consumers with faster broadband access were also catching up on programs via online catch-up sites. More than 2 million households had access to a high definition service and 17.6 million HD-ready sets, in nearly 9 million households, have been sold in the UK.

In addition, by the end of the first quarter of 2009, almost 70 % of homes took broadband, as compared to 58 % a year ago. Meanwhile, more than one in 10 households had access to mobile broadband. Three quarters of those taking mobile broadband also had access to fixed-line broadband, showing the two services can complement each other.

While online, some 19 million Internet users visit Facebook, spending an average of nearly 6 hours per month on the site, although those in the 15 to 24 age group were spending less time on social networking sites in general, down from 55 % in the first quarter of 2008 to 50 % in 2009. By May 2009 there were 2.6 million Twitter users, up from 0.1 million on the previous year.