Ph.d. afhandling, Thomas Bjørner

old people showed interest in watching more regional television, but not in using the
interactive services.
The motivations for being test pilot could be divided into 2 categories: 1. A motivation
concerning technology, where the main focus was to test the technology behind the set-
top-box, and too see what tomorrow’s television brings. 2. A motivation concerning more
regional television. The test pilots with a technological motivation were also the largest
group of deserting test pilots. The technological motivation did harmonize with the target
group of TV2/North-Digital, and therefore it was also difficult for this group to maintain
their interest, when they have seen what possibilities the technology contained. This
group had also been the most critical in their comments. The main reason for defection
given from the households was that they did not have time to watch TV2/North-Digital in
prime time. TV2/North Digital was only broadcasted in prime time from 20 to 22 pm every
day. There had also been several households un-able to receive the signal (especially in
the northern part of the region) because of the geographical problems with terrestrial
transmission.
One of the interesting research results from the participatory research from TV2/North-
Digital is the importance of the regional support and attitude – because some of the new
technology took place in the north part of Jutland, which primarily is an agricultural area
and the region in Denmark farthest away from the capital, Copenhagen. The e-mails sent
to the TV-Station indicated a kind of “familiar” attitude towards TV2/North-Digital and
some descriptions from their everyday life. This familiar attitude could on one hand
indicate a very honest response to and interest in the pilot project. But on the other hand it
is also a risk that some viewers hesitated to criticize the project. These descriptions are
anchored in the first letter sent out to the test-pilots, where TV2/North-Digital stated that
they would try to establish a “Digitally extended family”, and the TV station had to a
certain level succeeded in making the viewers feel like a digitally extended family with a
familiar attitude towards this regional digital project and a great willingness to keep a
diary, respond to the questionnaires and participating in-debt interviews.
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