Advertising homes for sale on digital television is set to be the next logical step for estate agents wishing to win more market share and take advantage of British consumer passion for property.

In many respects, a TV property platform such as the forthcoming venture TheMoveChannel.TV is long overdue. According to a recent survey on TheMoveChannel.com website, the demand for TV-based listings is already very strong. 73% of respondents indicated that they would like the ability to watch TV footage of properties that are on the market.

In fact, it appears that consumers are chomping at the bit to watch such a dedicated property channel – but not just when they are looking for a new home. Whilst 31% of respondents said they would make use of a property TV channel only when buying a house, 55% reckoned they would tune in regularly. It will take further investigation to establish whether this is down to our obsession with comparing the value of our own home with market prices, or simply because we like the opportunity to snoop round somebody else’s property.

Either way, a popular channel makes for a better proposition as far as estate agents and property developers are concerned. The more buyers that watch, the more leads that will be generated, while the branding and profile benefits of TV exposure led 58% of users to indicate they would be more likely to instruct an agent that they had seen advertised on television.

Dan Johnson, founder of TheMoveChannel.com said:

“The new TV platform will act to complement and reinforce the other marketing activities of serious agents and developers. The Internet is proving to be the most popular of the available house-hunting tools because of the convenience aspect and the added-value features such as multiple photographs, 360 degree tours, floor plans and so on."

"Digital TV video footage will add another element, giving prospective buyers the chance to see much more of the property than is possible using other media. This will improve the buying process for consumers, allowing them to filter out unsuitable properties and spend less time on wasted viewings, with the result that the leads agents receive will be of an exceptionally high quality.”

For more information on the forthcoming channel, please visit the new website: www.TheMoveChannel.TV

The results of the survey:

350 responses to the property TV survey were collected from visitors to TheMoveChannel.com website and subscribers to the daily newsletter. Full questions and answers are shown below:

Q1. How would you currently rate the following as a source for property information?

a) Television,

• Excellent, 10%
• Good, 12%
• Adequate, 26%
• Unsatisfactory, 51%

b) Radio,

• Excellent, 5%
• Good, 7%
• Adequate, 19%
• Unsatisfactory, 70%

c) Local press,

• Excellent, 23%
• Good, 44%
• Adequate, 22%
• Unsatisfactory, 10%

d) National press,

• Excellent, 9%
• Good, 27%
• Adequate, 39%
• Unsatisfactory, 26%

e) Internet,

• Excellent, 48%
• Good, 38%
• Adequate, 11%
• Unsatisfactory, 3%

f) Specialist magazines.

• Excellent, 25%
• Good, 51%
• Adequate, 16%
• Unsatisfactory, 8%

Q2) Would you like to be able to view property details via your TV set?

• Yes, 73%
• No, 26%
• Don't know, 1%

Q3) Do you currently subscribe to or intend to subscribe to:

• Sky Digital, 39%
• NTL Home, 16%
• Telewest, 10%
• Free to air digital TV, 13%
• Terrestrial TV only, 21%

Q4) If a property channel was available on digital TV, would you watch the channel:

• Once, 2%
• Regularly, 55%
• Only if I was buying or selling a house, 31%
• Never, 6%
• Don't know, 7%

Q5) If an estate agent marketed their property portfolio on television, would you be more inclined or less inclined to instruct them to sell your property?

• More inclined, 58%
• Less inclined, 9%
• Don't know, 34%

Q6) What features would be most important for a property TV channel?

• Seeing footage of the property interior and exterior, 85%
• Suitable property price ranges provided, 71%
• Ability to request follow up information, 64%
• Relevant geographical market coverage, 60%
• Hearing or reading a description, 39%
• Interactivity, 37%
• Main agents featured, 22%