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Streaming TV Ups Viewer Engagement

9/12/2013

Streaming TV Ups Viewer Engagement
by Wayne Friedman, Thursday, September 12, 2013

Watching a video on a big living-room TV screen can be good news for streaming TV-video producers -- especially those video segments that are long in duration.

Connected TV viewers watched live streaming video for an average of 44 minutes, -- 10 times longer than on-demand videos delivered over the to connected TVs -- per a new video study from Ooyala, a digital video technology company.

While over-the-top viewing accounts for only a fraction of total TV consumption, people streaming content to their TV -- using a smart TV, set-top box, game console or companion device -- are the most engaged, especially with live content, it notes.

Why? The study reasons that TV viewers are in a “lean-back” mindset with any type of video on their big video screens.

Ooyala also says connected TV viewers spent 56% of their total viewing time watching videos longer than 10 minutes, and 45% watching videos longer than half an hour. But it seems a ‘lean-back’ -- or maybe kick-back -- mode also applies to mobile and tablet video usage, especially after-work hours.

The study says mobile “video plays” peak on Friday and Saturday nights, with mobile video plays surging between 8 and 10 p.m. -- a time when many devices are connected to WiFi.

Also most tablet video plays occur on Friday night, when people use these devices as first and second screens. As with mobile video, people watch more daytime tablet TV on the weekends.

Overall, mobile video activity grew 28% and tablet video was 18% higher in the second quarter of this year.

"Watching TV" photo from Shutterstock

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Streaming TV Increases Popularity Across Demographics

9/10/2013

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Streaming TV Increases Popularity Across Demographics
by Wayne Friedman, Tuesday, September 10, 2013

More than half of the core U.S. TV viewing population viewed some streaming video in a given week.

Market researcher GfK says 51% of those 13-54 years watch a TV program or movie via streaming video platforms. This is up from a 48% in 2012; and 37% higher than three years ago.

Almost two-thirds, 62%, of those video users 13-33 years old, stream TV or movies weekly; 46% for 34-47 year olds; and 30% for those 48-54 years old. Five percent of consumers use a tablet to watch streaming video of TV programs or movies on a weekly basis; 4% use a smartphone.

One of the big streaming video platforms, that of subscription video on demand service Netflix, give viewers some big options.

Research shows 13-54 year olds use Netflix to watch 2.7 TV programs a week and 1.4 movies a week. Almost half of those users also say they would “definitely” or “probably” cancel their Netflix service if their pay TV service -- cable, satellite or telco company -- offered up a similar service at similar price.

While overall streaming video usage is climbing, streaming video via traditional TV services is slowly gaining traction on “TV Everywhere” platforms, where TV content can be seen on different digital platforms.

About one-third of 13-54 viewers say their TV provider offers TV Everywhere -- though only about 7% of those surveyed have actually used it.

The report says video-game consoles are an untapped source of access. 47% of TV homes have streaming-ready game systems, but only 9% use them weekly for streaming.

Video piracy might be slightly higher, according to the research. Now, 17% of those surveyed say they have stream or downloaded video they knew was illegal. Three years ago, in 2010, this activity was at a 9% level.

The June 2013 study came from 1,065 persons 13-54; 1,007 of those who completed detailed information about ownership and usage. The average time to complete the survey was 19 minutes with a cooperation rate among the assigned sample at 42%.

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Sony, Viacom Sign Deal For Streaming TV

8/19/2013

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Sony, Viacom Sign Deal For Streaming TV
by Erik Sass, Aug 16, 2013

Sony and Viacom have reportedly struck a deal that will make programming from Viacom properties like MTV, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central available on Sony’s planned subscription video-on-demand service. It will be delivered via networked Sony devices, including PlayStation 4, set to debut this fall, as well as Sony TVs, tablets and smartphones.

The companies are still in the preliminary phases of negotiating the agreement, according to The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the news. But if it succeeds, the Sony-Viacom deal would likely be the biggest direct content agreement to date between a technology company and a media company, moving Sony ahead of potential Internet TV rivals, like Intel and Google.

Sony has said it plans to launch the paid TV service by the end of 2013 or in the first half of 2014. Overall Sony’s PSP network currently counts 24.4 million subscriptions in the U.S., putting it in the same league as cable providers like Comcast, with 21.8 million cable video subs.

Indeed, Viacom’s interest suggests Sony’s forthcoming pay TV network may offer an attractive business proposition to other media content companies currently focused on cable TV distribution. On that note, Sony is also said to be in negotiations to obtain programming from Walt Disney Co., Time Warner and CBS Corp., although there are no details on progress here. Sony could also conceivably draw on content from its own studios, which recently produced hits like “Breaking Bad” and "Elysium."

The Sony-Viacom deal is part of a larger trend, with new content delivery options thanks to the increasing penetration of high-speed Internet connections and growing use of computers -- including gaming consoles -- as media hubs connected to TVs and other devices. Most prominently, Microsoft has moved to make streaming video available on demand via its Xbox network through partnerships with Netflix and Amazon.

Established cable TV providers are coming under growing pressure from consumers and regulators to allow “a la carte” subscriptions that “unbundle” cable TV channels, so consumers only pay for what they want. At the same time, high-profile blackouts, like the one resulting from the carriage fee dispute between CBS and Time Warner Cable, are further testing consumers’ patience.

In this context, Internet protocol TV is an increasingly attractive option. Earlier this week, research IHS released figures showing that while the overall pay TV marketplace is contracting, due mostly to “cord-cutting” among cable and satellite subscribers, the number of IPTV subscribers is growing. There is a net addition of 398,000 subscribers in the second quarter by IPTV providers including AT&T Uverse and Verizon Fios, among others.

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Streaming TV Ups Viewer Engagement

Streaming TV Increases Popularity Across Demographics

Sony, Viacom Sign Deal For Streaming TV

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