Survey reveals few Internet users watch full-length video on demand — most blame poor Internet performance but would watch reliable TV on their computers

•  eighty-five percent of Internet users have never downloaded a full-length TV programme or movie

•  conventional wisdom that a successful video on demand service has to be available on the traditional living room TV may be mistaken - most Internet users would watch predictably reliable video on demand on their computers if performance and quality were improved

CAMBRIDGE , ENGLAND May 11 2007 CacheLogic, which recently launched a global Content Delivery Network (CDN) specifically designed for swift, reliable and cost-effective online distribution of DVD-sized files, has released the results of an independent survey of 2,400 UK Internet users .

The survey, commissioned by CacheLogic and carried out by YouGov, found that only 15 percent of Internet users have downloaded a full-length TV programme and only 14 percent a whole movie. The most common responses when asked "What would need to be addressed for you to view or download more?" were "speed of download" and "reliability". When asked to imagine a video on demand service that worked quickly and easily, the overwhelming majority of respondents - 65 percent - said they would be "fairly interested" or "very interested" in using it. Just 13 per cent were "not at all interested".

What are the implications of these findings? CacheLogic Chief Technical Officer, Adam Twiss, points to one: "Current conventional wisdom, that online viewing will only take off once it is seamlessly integrated into living room TV sets, may amount to a missed opportunity." He goes on to explain how CacheLogic's new content delivery network makes a quality online viewing and downloading experience possible today in spite of fears of inadequate broadband connectivity to the home.

"Although bridging the gap between the PC and the TV is a very good idea, the survey points to an opportunity that should be of interest to companies currently investing heavily in the race to find the video on demand 'holy grail' of fully integrated TV and Internet."

Twiss points out that CacheLogic's new CDN caters for mass-scale distribution of DVD-sized files without breaking the Internet or the bank. "Efficient and cost-effective delivery of such large files can happen without spending billions on digging up the roads to install optical fibre to every home," he says.

CacheLogic's CDN uniquely combines the strengths of "traditional" Internet distribution with intelligent peer-to-peer technology. This improves delivery performance overall, especially the quality of the end-user experience. And because content that is likely to be popular can be "pre-seeded" into the network and user-base, it is robust and flexible enough to cope with huge peaks in demand known as flash crowds. In fact it thrives on heavy demand. Content owners and their customers benefit from faster, predictable, reliable and guaranteed delivery.