Survey: Consumers Uncomfortable With Smart TV Data Collection

Consumers aren’t comfortable with their data being collected by smart TVs, according to a survey conducted by Videa, Cox Media’s automated ad platform.

The survey found that 48% of consumers said they were somewhat, mostly or completely uncomfortable with advertisers collecting smart TV data. Only 39% said they are somewhat, mostly or completely comfortable with their data being collected by advertisers.

The answer most given was that they were completely uncomfortable with 21%.

Speaking of cord-cutting, consumers surveyed said they would miss live programming or specific programs if they gave up their pay-TV subscriptions. They also said they would miss news channels, weather, sports, channel surfing and the variety they now get.

In these divisive times, the survey found that 61% said they had some or a lot of trust in the information they get from local news organizations.

Last year, the Pew Research Center did a survey and found that 22% of the adults it surveyed had a lot of trust in local news and that another 60% had some trust, for a total of 82%.

That compared to 18% who had a lot of trust in national news organizations and 59% who had some trust.

Social media had only 4% saying they had a lot of trust and 30% had some trust, according to the Pew study.

Videa’s survey found that 59% of the respondents said they get their local news from TV, compared to 38% via social media, 36% from print and 36% from local radio.

Among viewers who said they had a clear preference, 62% said they trusted local news over national news, while 38% said they trusted national news more.

Of those trusting local news, 31% said they trust it because there is less bias or no political agenda, the survey found.

Videa's survey was conducted online with 1,145 adults responding between March 21-22. The figures have been weighted to make them representative of all U.S. adults.

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.