Simon East

MN-311 Media & Communication in Ministry, Semester 2 2010

Survey Report: ‘Christian TV & the Future’
Word Limit: 1400
Actual Words: 1596

TABLE OF CONTENTS

REPORT RESULTS........................................................................................................ 2
Basic Demographics .................................................................................................... 2
Hours of Internet & TV Use Per Week ........................................................................ 2
Most Common TV-Related Equipment........................................................................ 3
Favourite Shows & Why .............................................................................................. 4
Consumption of Video Content Online ....................................................................... 5
Christian Television ..................................................................................................... 6
Suggested Content for Christian Broadcasters ............................................................ 7
Funding Broadcasting ................................................................................................. 7
THE CHRISTIAN ‘DIFFERENCE’ ..................................................................................... 8
SUMMARY ................................................................................................................. 9
Letter to Pastor ......................................................................................................... 11
APPENDICES ............................................................................................................. 13
Survey Questions ...................................................................................................... 13
Survey Results........................................................................................................... 15
Credits ...................................................................................................................... 15
BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................................................................... 16

1
REPORT RESULTS
My survey intended to discover the perspectives and needs of both Christians and non-Christians,
and the media that will help reach them. The next several pages highlight some of the interesting
discoveries I found.

Basic Demographics
25 people fully completed my survey, plus a further 6 who made partially-complete submissions.
Most respondents were in their 20s or early 30s and would probably be considered slightly more
technologically-savvy than the general population.

3
No. Respodents

Male
2
11 Female
14
1

0
18 21 24 27 30 33 36 39 42 45

Age

Hours of Internet & TV

50
Use Per Week
45
This graph displays the amount of 40
internet use vs television use. While the
Hours of Internet Use

35

number of hours differed greatly 30

between respondents, it’s interesting 25

20
that only two people watched television
15
more than they used the internet. It
10
appears that there is a trend, especially 5
amongst younger people that the 0
interactive nature of the internet is 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
Hours of TV
more engaging than the passive
consumption of television.

2
Most Common TV-Related Equipment
This question revealed the typical equipment in respondent’s lounge rooms. It’s interesting to note
that about two-thirds of people now have an LCD/Plasma television with high-definition
capabilities. DVD players have also clearly replaced VCRs, but Blu-ray hasn’t gained the market share
I expected (although note that PlayStation 3 consoles also contain a Blu-ray player).

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20

DVD Player
Hi-Def TV or Set-Top-Box
LCD/LED/Plasma
Standard TV
Surround sound
Watch TV on my computer
Home theatre system
Pay/Cable TV
VCR
Digital projector
Playstation 3
Another PVR
DVD Recorder
Foxtel IQ Recorder
AppleTV
Blu-Ray Player
Xbox
Xbox 360
3D capable television
GoogleTV
Other
Satellite receiver
Tivo

3
Favourite Shows & Why
The following tables represent the most popular television shows from the focus group (all shows
with two or more votes), as well as some of the reasons why they are popular. I was actually quite
surprised at the low importance of music content, personal relevance and creativity in filming
(probably elements that I personally gravitate towards).

Favourite Shows Votes

Rush 4
Gossip Girl 4
Masterchef Australia 3
Packed to the Rafters 3
Grey's Anatomy 3
How I Met Your Mother 3
The Office 2
Madmen 2
True Blood 2
Glee 2
Big Bang Theory 2
House 2
Top Gear 2
Undercover Boss 2
Law and Order SVU 2
Junior Masterchef Australia 2
Grand Total 74

Most Important
Production Element Votes
Storyline 21
Humour 18
Interesting topics/themes 17
Quality of drama 12
Calibre of actors 7
Creativity in filming 5
Really really nice food 5
Attractive people 5
Other 4
Relevance to you 4
Exotic locations 3
Suspense 3
The knowledge I gain or learn 2
Music content 0

4
Consumption of Video Content Online
Although internet usage was reasonably high within the focus group, internet video has not caught
on as much as I expected.

Watch Online Video Would Watch More Online Video

1-2 per
month
if Quality/Speed Improved
8%

Hardly
ever Yes Possibly
56% Weekly 8 8
32%

Probably Not
9
Most days
4%

I was also surprised that podcasts weren’t very popular (Christians slightly ahead of non-Christians).

Online Video Preference Votes

YouTube/Vimeo 19
YouTube on iPhone/iPod 6
Podcasts (on iPhone/iPod) 3
Podcasts (on computer) 3
None of the above 4
Other 2
Internet-enabled TV 0
Video Apps (Boxee, Hulu) 0

5
Christian Television
Christian television was rated quite badly, with only a handful of people giving scores above five.
 Production quality is high, sound & picture is crisp & clear: Averaged 5.3 out of 10
 Content is interesting, topical and relevant: Averaged 4.2 out of 10
 The production is very creative and interesting to watch: Averaged 3.2 out of 10

The overall opinion of the Australian Christian Channel was reasonably poor (although only a small
percentage actually had access to it). Zero people watched it regularly, and only two switched it on
occasionally.

Opinions of Christian TV Access to Aust. Christian Channel

Production quality is high, the sound and picture is crisp and clear
Creative and interesting to watch
Yes (3)
Content is interesting, topical and relevant never
watch
Yes (2)
occasional

No
No. Respondents

(16)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Rating Out of Ten 0 people watched ACC regularly.

6
Suggested Content for Christian Broadcasters
The following table lists the suggestions the respondents would give to churches considering
producing television content.

Preferred Type of Content Votes

Real-world stories 11
Help with common life issues 11
(relationships, direction, psychology)
Engaging short films 9
Explaining the bible in simple and engaging ways 8
Leadership skills and strategies 7
Inspiring and motivating speeches 6
Local issues or news (within your city) 5
Music (other than 'worship') 3
Coverage of special events 3
Interesting lessons from History 3
Global issues or news 2
Creative expressions of praise or worship 1
Technology and modern life 1
Documentaries 1
Other 1

Funding Broadcasting
The graph below shows the amount of people who considered free-to-air TV worthy of financial
investment, versus investing in internet communication. There was a somewhat higher value placed
on internet content, perhaps because of the (perceived?) high cost of broadcast-quality productions
compared with the low benefit (at least with what has been seen in the past).

Should Ministry Funds Be Used for Broadcasting?

8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
No Not sure Yes, but less Yes, but more

Free-to-air broadcasting Internet streaming/broadcasting

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THE CHRISTIAN ‘DIFFERENCE’
The reason my statistics are not split into Christians and non-Christians was that I simply could not
identify significant differences. They both appeared to have the same opinions in their preference
for content, the technology they own, hours spent on the internet, and opinion of current Christian
broadcasting.

The two subtle differences I did identify:

 Hours spent watching TV Christian average: 10 hrs/week

Non-Christian average: 16 hrs/week
I suspect this relates to the lower value placed upon television by some (by no means all)
Christians, or perhaps that they are more involved with church events or volunteering. I’m
still amazed by the massive amounts of time people invest in television (I’m one of the 0.3% of
households that do not own one).

 Use of Podcasts
Christians appeared to utilise podcasts somewhat more often, probably because much
Christian teaching/preaching material is transitioning from tapes/CDs to podcasts.

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SUMMARY
Christian TV is not rating well. I can barely remember a time that a friend actually recommended a
Christian program to me1. The Australian Christian Channel seems to be struggling to gain much
acceptance – perhaps more the fault of the content producers than the channel itself.

But the future can be different. The survey revealed some insights that churches can learn from...

TELEVISION still plays a major role in lives, with 10+ hours a week watched on average2 – probably
more than most other hobbies. The drawcard appears to be the entertainment or ‘escapism’ –
allowing people to spectate on lives apparently more interesting than their own. There appears to be
a gradual increase in on-demand viewing where PVRs (including products like Foxtel IQ and Tivo)
allow easy recording, time shifting and instant playback of television content. I suspect that this will
only increase as people tire of advertising and/or squeeze viewing into their increasingly busy lives.

But the INTERNET is an emergent realm that combines work, learning, entertainment and social
interaction. Internet video does not appear to have reached maturity or widespread use (less than
half of the respondents admitted to using it). YouTube (worth $1.65 Billion dollars when purchased
by Google3) appears to be the primary source of online video, despite its history of pixelated, low
quality and time-restricted clips. Browser vendors have been fighting to get an internet video
standard established, but even with Google’s release of the VP8 codec, web video still isn’t
standardised4. Despite this, online video can only grow in popularity and potential. Google’s release
of ‘GoogleTV’ – a device that combines internet content with broadcast television – may hint at the
way of the future. The internet also provides the potential for interaction and communication that
television has always lacked.

PRODUCERS need to understand the changing tastes and expectations of their viewers. With high-
definition televisions now the norm, content should really be produced in nothing less than 1080i
resolution. Lower resolutions footage will appear to lack the HD crispness and will probably age
quicker. Creative storytelling still draws a crowd, and this should be utilised in both dramatic and
non-fiction productions. Humour also fuels popularity, often sparking viral word-of-mouth spread. A

1
Perhaps the only one was the Florida Outpouring live via GodTV Satellite, where a group of us gathered, watched the revival and let it
spark a prayer meeting amongst us (2008).
2
Based on my survey. The Australian Government actually quotes a figure closer to 22 hrs per week per Australian adult.
(http://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/gtp/wftvanalysis.html#Rag12222)
3
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youtube
4
http://diveintohtml5.org/video.html

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potentially untapped genre is in helping people with ‘real life issues’, or providing insightful
leadership training (as popularly suggested by the focus group). Thankfully, Australian audiences
seem to appreciate local content equally as well as U.S. imports.

At a basic level, people favoured FUNDING internet projects more than free-to-air television. I
suspect this is because the internet has a much lower bar of entry, requiring less cost to setup, and
greater value-for-dollar.

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Letter to Pastor

Dear Pastor,

I’m excited about your willingness to get involved in media production – there is huge potential
waiting to be tapped. But... please ensure a few things are considered.

Free-to-air television currently has the greatest reach to Australians (potential reach: 22.4 million),
BUT it has proved very difficult to enter with Christian content. Entertainment (in increasingly
hedonistic forms) takes up most of the prime-time slots. Only a few of the best and most wealthy
Christian programs have secured regular timeslots on the major networks, and yet most of
Australians have probably never heard of them.

The Australian Christian Channel is easier to enter, but is only available on pay-TV networks
(potential reach: 6.4 million5), and appears to not gain much attention other than a small slice of
already-committed Christians.

I believe the internet is perhaps the best arena to focus on, IF you have the right passionate and
creative people driving it. Because ‘everyone else is doing it’ is not a valid reason. The potential of
internet video has yet to be fully realised, but it is continually growing with improved infrastructure
(potential reach: 2 billion6). The current issues of buffering delays and picture quality can be
overcome with careful planning. YouTube streams 2 billion videos per day7 (an audience 50 times
larger than Australian television8). I think if church media was designed with ‘guerrilla tactics’ it
would achieve greater success than past attempts – bold and creative, virally-spread, grass-roots, and
targeting a specific niche (much like the early church!).

I’d encourage you to check out a great example — Bulls+Arrows9. Birthed out of a vision from youth
mission organisation Youth Dimension, this is a website/media project aimed at reaching young
people with the gospel. Their website combines short films, music, band interviews and social
interaction. It also works alongside their high school programs around Melbourne. Their short films
are high quality, thought-provoking and their website mixes in a lot of pop culture to build bridges

5
http://www.acctv.com.au/cmspage.php?intid=142
6
http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm
7
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youtube
8
assuming the average Australian watches two shows per day
9
http://bullsandarrows.com/

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and pique the interest of young people. Their budget is reasonably small10, but are already making a
significant impact.

With a changing media landscape, we need to ask God to help us see ahead of the times and invest in
the areas that will be fruitful in 2, 5 or 10 years time. Please consider breaking away from the tired
methods of last decade and try something revolutionary. Praying that God would birth something
new that might lead people out of their spiritual wilderness (Isaiah 43:19).

Regards,

Simon East
Creative Producer & Visionary

10
An iMac, Canon 7D DSLR (1080p video support), software and random accessories probably cost less than $10,000. A creative person
was then employed part-time and later increased to full-time to manage the website and produce the series of films.

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APPENDICES

Survey Questions
To target both Christians and non-Christians – determining relevancy and direction of Christian TV.
Suggestions for church media studios.

 Television Weekly
o What equipment do you use to watch Most days
television? (tick all that apply) Every day
Standard television o I watch internet video mainly via:
LCD/LED/Plasma flat screen television Websites like YouTube or Vimeo
High definition TV or set-top box YouTube on iPhone/iPod
3D capable television My internet-enabled television
Digital projector Podcasts on my computer
Watch TV on my computer Podcasts on my iPhone/iPod
Subscribe to Pay Television: Foxtel, Video applications like Boxee, Hulu
Optus, Austar etc. None of the above
DVD Player Other
DVD Recorder o Would you watch more video content over
VCR the internet if the quality and/or speed
Satellite receiver (for free satellite was improved?
channels) Yes
Foxtel IQ Recorder Possibly
Tivo Probably not
I have another PVR (hard-drive video  Previous Experience of Christian TV
recorder, usually with time-shifting o Belief in God, options:
features) I don’t really know what’s out there
Home theatre system (agnostic)
Surround sound Evolution explains life so God isn’t
Xbox needed (atheist)
Xbox 360 I believe in God and follow Jesus
Playstation 3 I believe in God but think Christians
AppleTV have got it wrong
GoogleTV I use ‘the force’
Another device capable of playing I am God
internet or streaming video on your o Which Christian television programs have
television you witnessed before?
Other Touched by an Angel
th
o Hours of television you watch per week (a 7 Heaven
rough guess) Hillsong Television
o Hours of internet use per week (a rough This is Your Day (with Benny Hinn)
guess) Life Today (with James Robison)
o Your top three favourite shows (either The Potter’s Touch (with T.D. Jakes)
broadcasted or online) The 700 Club
o What aspects of those shows make them Enjoying Everyday Life (with Joyce
your favourites? Meyer)
Storyline Joel Osteen
Quality of drama None of the above
Humour o Do you have access to the Australian
Relevance to you Christian Channel (via
Suspense Foxtel/Optus/Austar)?
Creativity in filming Yes, and watch it regularly
Interesting topics/themes Yes, and watch it occasionally
Calibre of actors Yes, but never watch it
Attractive people No
Music content o Have you witnessed Christian media
Other online?
o Do you use the internet to watch  YouTube, Vimeo, etc.
streaming video?  Podcasts (audio or video)
Hardly ever  Other streaming media
Once or twice a month  Views on Christian television [if they have seen it]

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 o How relevant are Christian TV shows to
your life?
Relates to everyday life
Relates to parts of my life
Not highly relevant, but still
interesting
Feels quite irrelevant and
disconnected from my life
o Quality
Production quality is high, the sound
and picture is crisp and clear
The production is very creative and
interesting to watch
Content is interesting, topical and
relevant
o Do you think Christian ministries should
spend money on free-to-air broadcasting
(eg. Channel 2/7/9/10/SBS etc.)?
o Do you think Christian ministries should
spend money on internet
streaming/broadcasting?
o If you have ever watched church events on
television (perhaps with worship music or
preaching), what feedback would you
give?
Has been great, really encourages me.
I occasionally find something
interesting and helpful
Seems stale and outdated, what
about something fresh, new or
cutting-edge?
Seems staged and self-serving
Seems detached from reality of
everyday life, why don’t you target
the needs and issues of ‘normal’
people?
Please don’t advertise books/CDs or
other products, it seems like you’re
running a business
Please don’t manipulate people for
donations
I’ve never witnessed church services
on TV
o General comments: “Do you have any
further opinions or experiences about
Christians on television?”
 Comments/suggestions to churches starting a media
studio
o [if Christian] Do you think television is a
legitimate mission field?
Definitely, what better way to reach
every home in Australia?
Definitely, TV & media is the language
of my generation
Yes, but it needs to work alongside
relationships and community
It can help promote or spark ideas,
but outreach is best done in person
No, mission is about people, not
media
Other
o [if Christian] Do you think the internet is a
legitimate mission field?
Definitely, what better way to
communicate worldwide, without
restrictions
Definitely, all my friends use the
internet everyday, and they need
reaching
Yes, but it needs to work alongside
relationships and community
It’s helpful for believers or those
already searching, but it doesn’t work
well for those with no faith
It can help promote or spark ideas,
but mission/outreach is best done in
person
No, mission is about people, not
media
Other
o If a church near you was thinking about
producing television content, what would
you suggest they focus on?
Explaining the bible in simple and
engaging ways
Inspiring and motivating speeches
Real-world stories
Local issues or news (within your city)
Global issues or news
Creative expressions of praise or
worship
Music (other than ‘worship’)
Engaging short films
Leadership skills and strategies
Coverage of special events
Interesting lessons from History
Technology and modern life
Documentaries
Help with common life issues
(relationships, direction, psychology)
o What other advice or suggestions would
you give them?
 Demographics
o Name
o Gender – male/female
o Age
o Any further comments to expand on your
answers above?
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Survey Results
The full results of my survey can be accessed at the following URLs:

SurveyGizmo Report: http://j.mp/9qe5D6

Raw Data in Excel: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/9911892/Media_Survey_Results.xlsx

Credits
Appreciation is extended to:

 SurveyGizmo and their brilliant online survey system, with generous free accounts available.
http://www.surveygizmo.com

 Facebook for the promotion of my survey, helping me identify and contact potential
respondents.
http://www.facebook.com

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BIBLIOGRAPHY
ACC: Advertising (2010) Available internet: http://www.acctv.com.au/cmspage.php?intid=142 (27th
October 2010).

http://diveintohtml5.org/video.html (27th October 2010).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youtube (25th October 2010).

http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm (28th October 2010).

Peters, B. (n.d.) “Free-to-air television in Australia.” Screen Australia. Available internet:

http://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/gtp/wftvanalysis.html#Rag12222 (27th October 2010)

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