TV to succeed PC as top online video platform
May 15, 2014
TVs are outpacing computers as the key platform for Internet video, according to Parks Associates.
In the first quarter of 2014, US broadband households watched roughly three hours of online video per week on each platform, but the amount of online video consumed on a TV is increasing, up from 2.3 hours per week in Q1 2013, while online video viewing on a PC is on a steady decline.
“The amount of all video consumed on PCs has declined, dropping from over eight hours per week in 2013 to 6.2 hours per week now,” said Brett Sappington, Director of Research, Parks Associates. “Ultimately, consumers can more easily access online video options on a television than ever before. In addition to smart TVs, Blu-ray players, and game consoles, consumers are also buying streaming media players and devices such as Google’s Chromecast. Pay-TV providers are making a strong push to extend TV Everywhere to a variety of devices. These trends are converging to displace computer-based video consumption.”
The research, 360 View: Entertainment Services in U.S. Broadband Households, found 81 per cent of US broadband households watch video on a TV set, while 60 per cent watch content on a computer. Thirty-one percent said they watch video on a smartphone, and 28 per cent watch on a tablet. The PC was the only platform to show any significant decline in video viewing in the past year.