BT’s TV on-demand service, which is available to all BT Total Broadband customers, is a great way to save money in the face of the credit crunch and offers consumers an opportunity to stop paying for channels that they rarely watch, it has been claimed.

A survey of Sky Movies subscribers conducted by BT found that 50 per cent of respondents pay more than £45 per month for their monthly TV subscription service. Meanwhile, 63 per cent of customers who pay for bundled services from Sky, including Sky broadband, pay more than £50.

However, 49 per cent of those quizzed admitted that over the last month they had watched three or fewer movies. Furthermore, 59 per cent said that they had spent less time watching Sky Movies’ programming than they had expected to when they initially signed up for the service.

The study also discovered that the credit crunch is making people reassess their outlay on subscription channels. Among the Sky Movies subscribers polled by BT, more than two thirds (69 per cent) said they are currently looking for ways to save money.

Dan Marks, chief executive officer of BT Vision, said that on-demand services such as BT Vision represent an ideal way of economising, with the additional benefit that consumers are able to watch what they want.

He commented: “This survey shows that in credit crunch Britain, people are looking for alternatives to subscribing to movie channels that they rarely watch, and viewing dictated by channel schedulers.”

BT Vision is available to BT Total Broadband customers and offers 600 current and classic movies as well as sport, documentaries, drama and kids entertainment which customers can access on a pay per view basis. Additionally, the service comprises a subscription option, 80 freeview channels and a programme recording facility.

News of the study’s findings comes as BT recently unveiled a five-minute online advertisement-cum-trailer to promote BT Vision starring Tamsin Outhwaite. Available to view at the BT site, the spot is intended to raise awareness of the highest-profile shows currently running on BT Vision.

Latterly, BT Vision has been enjoying strong take-up. Last month, BT announced that its subscriber numbers hit 398,000 during the fourth quarter of last year. This is up from a figure of 340,000 at the end of the preceding quarter. Its broadband packages are also experiencing growing demand, with 83,000 added in the three months to January 2009.