Online TV viewing up 246% as more turn to smartphones
The popularity of TV-everywhere apps is surging as more than one-fifth of U.S. households now watch television streamed through phones, tablets and computers, according to a new report by Adobe.
Compiled after reviewing data from 1,300 media and entertainment sites, the report said online TV viewing -- including live and on-demand content -- across all devices grew 246% in the first quarter from a year ago, excluding data from the Sochi Olympics. Viewing on game consoles and other "over-the-top" streaming devices, such as Roku, grew the fastest, with a 539% jump.
For the first time, more people are watching TV on iOS apps -- 46% of online TV streaming -- than computer browsers. A year ago, nearly half of online TV viewing was done on desktop or laptop computers, but their share has fallen to about 36%.
Adobe's report is the latest evidence that consumers are increasingly ditching the living room TV that's fed live programming by cable or satellite connections. Pay-TV providers' efforts to satisfy on-the-go consumers with broadband-delivered TV have upended the traditional arrangements that have guided the video part of the industry for years, resulting in massive mergers, alliances, personnel changes and intensifying battles over digital licensing terms.
"More than one-fifth of all pay-TV households in the U.S. now watch TV online across screens," said Jeremy Helfand, Adobe's vice president, primetime. "With rapidly rising consumer expectations for TV across devices, the TV industry is moving through a rapid transformation."
Other findings:
* More households stream. About 21% of U.S. pay-TV households now stream TV vs. 16% a year ago.
* More channels seizing the trend. The number U.S. TV channels that offer websites and/or apps to stream their content grew to 95 from 65 in just six months.
* More clicks. The number of unique visitors per month to TV-streaming websites and apps grew by 157% from a year ago. iOS apps registered 9.2 video streams on average per visitor each month vs. 7.2 streams for game consoles and other streaming devices. Browsers had 5.5 streams per visitor.