YouGov: 48% of UK consumers worry about US media dominance

Half of UK media consumers are worried that US companies moving to the nation will mean they apply more control over its media, according to a YouGov report commissioned by sales platform Matrix Solutions.

The survey conducted in the UK asked 2,117 consumers about their perceptions of US media companies purchasing UK companies. It was conducted as the UK faces the potential takeover of Sky by Comcast or Disney, for example.

Out of 2,117 UK adults, 48% noted that they are worried that US companies won’t understand the UK audience and will create more generic or US-centric content and advertising.

Meanwhile, 43% worry that there might be an increase in the number of adverts shown. While Ofcom imposes maximum time periods for advertising each hour and on average, the research suggests more education is needed for consumers.

Furthermore, 14% are also worried about less relevant adverts being shown to them as a result, indicating that UK consumers still value relevance in advertising and want to maintain the current balance in advertising shown to them.

“Media organisations undertaking or planning on undertaking M&A activity need to understand consumer attitudes on both sides of the pond to create the best service for the most consumers,” said Mark Gorman, CEO at Matrix Solutions.

“However, they also need to ensure that they have accurate understanding of ad revenues across all channels to remain competitive, which is even more important considering the market consolidation taking place at the moment.”

The research took place from September 4-5, 2018. It was carried out online and all figures are weighted and representative of UK adults (aged 18+).