According to Stuart Schneiderman, Consumer Insights and Measurement, Viacom Media Networks, while still nascent in terms of awareness and usage, TV Everywhere (TVE) presents a significant opportunity for brands to grow and strengthen their relationships with fans.

Writing in the company blog, Schneiderman notes that the TV Everywhere experience is defined as watching full-length TV programmes on sites and apps by ‘authenticating’ – using one’s pay-TV log-in information.

He says that Viacom’s TV Here, There, (Not Quite) Everywhere study explores consumers’ perceptions, expectations and experiences around TVE apps and sites. “The findings reveal an increase in overall TV viewing among TVE users, as well as greater customer loyalty towards pay-TV providers that offer TVE services,” he advises.

Key Findings

The majority agrees: TV Everywhere is additive to the TV viewing experience.

• Since they began using TVE apps and sites, 64 per cent of users report watching more TV overall. This finding is even stronger among Millennials, with 72 per cent watching more TV.

• For those using TV Everywhere, the television is still the go-to source for TV shows and watching live.

• After live TV, TVE apps and sites are a strong alternative, rivalling VoD, DVR and other sites that don’t require authentication with a pay TV provider, such as subscription streaming services or other free sites.

TVE increases the value of pay-TV subscriptions and strengthens loyalty towards pay-TV providers and networks.

• A full 98 per cent of users say TVE adds value to their pay TV subscription, with 67 per cent saying it adds “a lot” of value.

• 93 per cent are more likely to stay with their provider due to TV Everywhere and 68 per cent have a more favourable impression of networks that offer TVE experiences.

I Want My TVE: Main Drivers of Usage.

Content is King: Whether to re-watch or catch up, content is one of the biggest drivers of TV Everywhere usage.

• 31 per cent report re-watching episodes and 22 per cent report starting a show from the first season.

• Over two-thirds report using TVE more often than other third-party/free sites because they can find: more shows overall (42 per cent); the shows/series they want to watch (38 per cent); and exclusives (23 per cent).

True flexibility: TVE allows viewers to watch shows when, where and how they want.

• Nearly one-third of users use TVE because they weren’t able to watch the show live.

• 28 per cent use TVE because they are away from home.

• 22 per cent use TVE because all TVs were in use, and the same percentage cite being able to move around the house.

Staying savvy: TVE users consider themselves early adopters.

• One-fifth says they started using TVE because they like to be the first to try new things.

• TVE users are also much more likely to own and access TV shows on a range of different devices, including tablets, set-top-boxes and Smart TVs.

Barriers To Adoption

• The main barriers to adoption are a lack of perceived need, concerns about hidden costs, lack of awareness and screen size.

• There is no go-to source of discovery: 17 per cent of users heard about TVE from an ad on TV; 16 per cent were made aware by a spouse or partner; and 54 per cent of kids learned about it from their parents.

• While 19 per cent of users say they have no problems with their TVE experiences, the top issues tend to be tech-related, including loading/buffering (24 per cent) and crashing/freezing (23 per cent). Content-related issues are far less common.

The Ideal TVE Experience

• Flexibility of a ‘Digital DVR’: Viewers want to be able to pause a show and pick it up at another time, even on another device. Most popular ‘wants’ are: the abilities to start/stop (66 per cent); to watch on any device (64 per cent); and to use outside of their home Wi-Fi (60 per cent).

• Deep Content Libraries: Viewers want instant gratification and complete and deep content libraries, including immediate access to recent episodes (65 per cent), old seasons of shows (62 per cent), content that never expires (62 per cent) and live TV (56 per cent).

• Smart Search: Intuitive search functionalities are crucial. Consumers want clear search boxes to search for specific shows (68 per cent), organised content (59 per cent) and the ability to make queues or lists of favourites for later viewing (55 per cent).

• Custom Logins: Particularly in multi-person households or for those with kids in the home, the ability to customise (52 per cent) and have accounts for multiple users (48 per cent) is important.

Implications:

While viewers find TVE additive, there is a general lack of awareness around these services, suggesting that TV Everywhere apps and services would benefit from increased consumer marketing. In addition, insights on what users want out of TV Everywhere – flexibility, extensive content, smart search and custom logins – can guide content and product teams in creating the ideal TV Everywhere experiences for viewers.

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