"Consumers have grown accustomed to accessing new forms of content through alternative sources, such as online video and video-on-demand, at no cost to them -- no fee, with very limited advertising shown," said Saul Berman, Global Lead Partner, Strategy and Change Consulting, IBM Global Business Services and the author of many recent IBM studies.

"The industry must find appealing ways to monetise new content sources or risk a similar fate as that of the music industry where value shifted away from core players." Close to 60 per cent of total respondents were willing to provide information about themselves -- such as age, gender, and lifestyle or communications preferences -- in exchange for something of value.

Younger respondents had fewer concerns about revealing personal preferences, and a sizeable portion of participants over the age of 45 were also willing to share information about themselves. However, all respondents indicated the need for perceived value and incentives as a trade-off to provide personal information.