A couple of pieces of research this morning that confirm and clarify what many folks have been observing independently but which also made me a bit more confused. In this case, it has to do with how our media habits are changing with respect to television.
Google TV (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Frankly, I’m not even sure what TV is any more despite many years working in the industry. A “TV” is a screen, and we’re surrounded by screens of that sort and many others, the use of which is reflected in the research. In any event, the data are interesting and even more so when one considers the changes that are happening to the businesses behind the screens.
Let’s start with information from a TV industry group – CIMM. The released a study which you can access here about How Multi-Screen Consumers Are Changing Media Dynamics:
Studying 10 broadcast network and cable brands over a five-week period, the research found that an average of 90% of consumers who engaged with brand did so on TV, and 25% did so online, and 12% via online video. In addition, comScore and CIMM found that 60% of a media brand’s consumers accessed both TV and the web during simultaneous 30-minute increments, and 29% accessed Facebook while watching TV. To the researchers, this suggests that digital platforms may be used to support the TV-viewing experience and drive multi platform engagement.
So multi platform is here. What I think is lost a bit is that it may not necessarily mean multi-screen:
21% of consumers now have their TVs hooked up to the internet, a 5% increase from last year’s levels.The Magid Media Futures report says gaming consoles (Nintendo’s Wii, Sony’s PlayStation3 and Microsoft’s Xbox 360) are currently the “primary means” of connecting a TV to the internet, followed by “smart-TVs,” Blu-ray players, and then OTT devices like Roku, AppleTV or GoogleTV. The firm says early adopters skew toward men, as 56% of male respondents between the ages of 18-44 say they have their TVs connected to the web vs. 44% of females.
There’s also research from The NPD Group which finds that 66% of all big screen (50+inches) HDTVs are made with the ability to connect to the internet without a separate device, while only 1% of TVs smaller than 32 inches have the same technology. Yes, we’re watching a mash-up of difference sources, brands, and technologies but no, it might not be through a TV, an iPad, and a phone.
So what’s it called? TV? Enhanced video? A mess? Let’s hear your thoughts.
Consult Keith 