Digital TV, Movie Streaming Reaches a Tipping Point

eMarketer reporting:
US digital TV and movie content audiences will grow faster than previously expected due to increased viewing on tablets and smartphones, a wave of internet-enabled TVs, and greater content availability, according to a new eMarketer report, “Digital TV and Movie Streaming: A Rising Tide of Devices, Content and Viewing.”
The number of US digital TV viewers will reach 145.3 million in 2017, up from 106.2 million in 2012, according to eMarketer. The February 2013 figures represent increases ranging from 5.3% to 9.3% more than the corresponding figures in its August 2012 forecast. Digital TV viewers will cross a critical tipping point in 2014, surpassing 50% of the US internet user population.

Belkin and Harris Interactive surveyed US internet users on their willingness to replace cable TV with digital media subscriptions and found that 12% strongly agreed with the statement: “I would consider replacing my cable/satellite subscription with a streaming media subscription (e.g., Netflix, Hulu Plus) in 2013.” Another 18% said they somewhat agreed, indicating that a total of 30% of respondents were inclined to at least consider cord-cutting.

Read more at http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Digital-TV-Movie-Streaming-Reaches-Tipping-Point/1009775#OHtIPWP6IxqslGWe.99

BBC Study Confirms Tablets’ Growing Role In TV Consumption

TechCrunch reporting:
Companies like Google, Twitter and Nielsen — who respectively make money from digital advertising, want to make a lot more from digital ads, and get paid to provide data to justify ads online and offline — are putting some significant effort into showing the connection between how consumers watch TV and use their tablets and smartphones to shape that experience in the U.S.. Now the BBC — via its commercial operations of BBC World News TV and BBC.com — is also weighing in, with an international study out from BBC World News and BBC.com looking at how news is consumed today. It shows that the role that tablets are playing in TV usage — which we already knew was strong in the U.S. — is actually an international phenomenon.
The survey, BBC says, polled some 3,600 consumers across Australia, Singapore, India, United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Poland, Germany, France and the U.S., the BBC, working with InSites Consulting, says this is the biggest study of its kind. The geographical reach complements the ongoing work from Pew Research Center on digital media usage, which focuses on the U.S. only.
Specifically, the BBC notes that it found the following:
– Some 43% of tablet owners say that they watch more TV now than they did five years ago. 83% say they use tablets alongside TV.
– 25-34 year-old professionals are the biggest “news enthusiasts.” But that enthusiasm is still TV-first, other screens second, with tablets remaining distinctly in a secondary, not primary, role. Across all age groups, 42% of news consumption is still happening on TV, with laptops (29%), smartphones (18%) and tablets (10%) scoring in significance.
– Advertising may be appearing in different formats, but users are not surprised by that.
http://techcrunch.com/2013/03/26/bbc-study-confirms-tablets-growing-role-in-tv-consumption-but-also-that-tv-remains-supreme/

Hulu Has Failed In Europe Because It Wanted To Own Ad Sales, RTL CEO Says

paidcontent reporting:

The RTL chief executive, Gerhard Zeiler, said on Thursday the broadcaster had not done a deal with Hulu, the online TV service, because its US owners would not allow the company to sell its own advertising.

Zeiler told the Royal Television Society Cambridge Convention that aggregators such as Hulu, which is owned by US media companies News Corporation (NSDQ: NWS), NBC (NSDQ: CMCSA) Universal, Disney (NYSE: DIS) and private equity company Providence Equity Partners, would fail unless they allow broadcasters to promote their channels rather than individual programmes on their video-on-demand service. Hulu is yet to launch in Europe.

“Two years ago Hulu came to Europe and after two years they have not done any deal because all the broadcasters have said ‘we won’t let you turn our [advertising] euros or pounds into cents’,” Zeiler said.
“We said, ‘we want to sell our own advertising, we want to determine the price’ and that’s not something they [Hulu] could to deliver to us.
“We can’t allow someone else to disintermediate. In a universe with one thousand different choices you need guidance.”
He added that channel brands are more vital then ever in a multichannel environment, where new distribution platforms such as internet TV are taking root. RTL, the former owner of Channel 5 in the UK, is Europe’s largest advertiser-funded commercial broadcaster, with 41 TV networks and 31 radio stations in 10 countries. “We need to strengthen our megabrands,” Zeiler said. “When we change programmes from one channel to the other in the same time slot it’s a completely different audience.”
http://paidcontent.co.uk/article/419-hulu-has-failed-in-europe-because-it-wanted-to-own-ad-sales-rtl-ceo-say

Americans watching more video, but TV declines among most active online consumers

Poynter reporting:
Americans are spending more time watching video on TVs, mobile devices and the Internet than ever before, according to a new Nielsen report. The statistics show opportunity for news organizations to invest in engaging, online video content. The report is largely good news for broadcasters as well, as total TV viewership increased 22 minutes per month, per person over last year. However, TV watching has declined among people who watch the most online video. This behavior is led by 18- to 34-year olds, but it may hint at future consumption patterns.
http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/romenesko/136080/americans-watching-more-video-but-tv-declines-among-most-active-online-consumers