UK citizens unwilling to pay for digital content

Four fifths of UK consumers would go elsewhere if their preferred site goes behind a pay wall

Research from KPMG has uncovered a reluctance among UK consumers to pay for digital content.

The firm's Consumers and Convergence IV report found that UK citizens are less likely to pay for digital content than their global counterparts, but would accept targeted advertisements as a compromise.

The survey polled consumers who use mobile and PC technology on a daily basis, and found that four fifths of UK consumers would go elsewhere if their preferred site goes behind a pay wall.

"UK consumers still haven't come around to the idea of paying for digital content, and are clear that they will move to other sites if pay walls are put up," said Tudor Aw, head of technology for KPMG in Europe.

However, this may not apply to all sites. KPMG found that people would pay for games, music and video online, but not news, for example.

Just 19 per cent of internet users would stick with their usual site if it started charging, according to KPMG, an incredibly low number when compared to other locations.

For example, KPMG said that roughly 40 per cent of global consumers would pay to access "frequently" used content, while the number increases to 59 per cent in the Asia Pacific region.