Paid Broadcasting Service Satisfaction Increased... But VOD Ads Also Increased

Announcement of Paid Broadcasting Service Quality Evaluation Results

Although the satisfaction levels of paid broadcasting users at each service stage have increased compared to last year, the advertising time and number of ads during video-on-demand (VOD) viewing have also increased.

The Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Information Society Agency announced the results of the 2023 paid broadcasting service quality evaluation on the 31st.

The evaluation targeted paid broadcasting services of 18 paid broadcasting operators, assessing quantitative items such as channel switching time and volume levels, as well as qualitative items including user satisfaction at each service stage. Previously, quantitative evaluations were conducted by renting 100 vacant households, but this was increased to 200 households, of which 51 were actual residential households recruited to improve accuracy. Additionally, whereas results were previously announced the following year, they are now released within the same year of evaluation to allow operators to reflect the results in their next year’s business plans.

The survey on user satisfaction at each stage of paid broadcasting services showed an overall average score of 63.7 points, an improvement from 61.4 points the previous year, with all operators showing progress. Satisfaction was relatively high at the installation (70.5 points), A/S (after-sales service) (70.9 points), and change (65.5 points) stages. Satisfaction at the cancellation stage was relatively low at 56.4 points but remained similar to the previous year’s 56.3 points. Among the three IPTV providers, LG Uplus scored the highest at 64.7 points, followed by SK Broadband (63.3 points) and KT (63 points).

The average number of ads per paid VOD was 0.51 times, and ad duration was 12.94 seconds, both increased from the previous year (0.45 times, 11.24 seconds). IPTV saw decreases in both ad frequency and duration (0.53 times, 14.00 seconds → 0.48 times, 11.46 seconds), whereas multiple system operators (MSOs) experienced increases (0.55 times, 13.11 seconds → 0.67 times, 21.81 seconds). Comparing paid and free VOD, free VOD ads averaged 2.19 times and 63.77 seconds, which is 4.3 times and 4.9 times higher, respectively, than paid VOD.

According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) perceived video quality evaluation standards, a user evaluation panel (2,476 households) directly assessed video quality at home, resulting in an overall average score of 4.54 points (on a 5-point scale), slightly down from 4.55 points last year. IPTV scored 4.69 points, MSOs 4.56 points, and small-scale system operators (small SOs) and satellite broadcasting scored 4.49 points. Among the three IPTV providers, KT and LG Uplus scored highest at 4.7 points. The frequency of abnormal screen occurrences such as freezing or distortion averaged 0.13 times per video (about 13 times per 100 videos), an improvement from 0.16 times the previous year.

Measurements of average volume levels per live broadcast channel and average volume differences between channels showed that all operators met the standard volume criteria. The rate of exceeding the standard volume was 8.7% on average, similar to last year’s 8.1%. The maximum volume difference between individual channels averaged 6.49 dB, an improvement from 7.91 dB the previous year. The average channel switching time, which is the time taken to change channels using the remote control, was 1.42 seconds, slightly improved from 1.48 seconds last year.

Content satisfaction surveyed aspects such as VOD variety and the appropriateness of paid VOD costs. The average score was 56.8 points, slightly down from 57.1 points last year. Satisfaction with paid VOD costs was low at 52.1 points. This decline in consumer satisfaction with paid VOD is interpreted as influenced by online video services (OTT). Among the three IPTV providers, LG Uplus had the highest content satisfaction at 59.1 points, followed by SK Broadband (58.8 points) and KT (57.6 points).

The average set-top box startup time, measured as the time taken for the set-top box to power on, was 3.03 seconds, an increase of 0.26 seconds from 2.77 seconds last year. Except for IPTV (which improved from 2.28 seconds to 2.02 seconds), startup times for SO and satellite broadcasting operators slightly increased. The difference between minimum and maximum startup times averaged 1.89 seconds. Among the three IPTV providers, KT had the shortest startup time at 1.98 seconds, followed by SK Broadband at 2.01 seconds and LG Uplus at 2.08 seconds.

The satisfaction survey on the AI voice recognition set-top box feature, conducted since last year, showed an average score of 60.6 points, up 2.5 points from 58.1 points the previous year. KT users scored 59.7 points, and SK Broadband users scored 61.5 points.

The Ministry of Science and ICT stated, “This year’s paid broadcasting service quality evaluation increased the sample size for quantitative indicators and advanced the announcement timing to make the evaluation more practical. Through the evaluation and disclosure of results, we aim to provide users with diverse information to assist in service selection and promote quality competition among paid broadcasting operators, ultimately contributing to enhancing the competitiveness of paid broadcasting services.”