CES 2016: couch potato cooked as out-of-home becomes new prime viewing spot


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Joseph O'Halloran

| 07 January 2016




The latest phase of TV consumption research from Rovi is claiming that the age-old idea of TV watchers being wedded to the couch has officially come to an end.



The initial phases of the survey of pay-TV and over-the-top (OTT) content subscribers in the US, Europe and Asia investigated trends in contemporary TV and streaming habits, and found that cord-cutting is less likely than the industry may have thought. However, the latest phase has revealed a boom in mobile video viewing.

Just over three-quarters of all respondents said they currently subscribe to online video offerings such as Netflix or Hulu – more so in the US and Europe compared to Asia Pacific. Millennials (84%) and parents (81%) were more likely to subscribe to alternative TV or video content providers.

Globally, three-fifths (60%) of respondents said they frequently stream content in their car or on public transportation, 29% of respondents said they view content while at work and almost a quarter said they view content in the car.

The survey also found that just over half of global respondents said their providers should focus on improving the ability to search for entertainment content to make it easier and more effective, while almost three-quarters said they would prefer to find programmes on-platform versus watching something their friends and family recommended.

Among all respondents who reported that they do not frequently use recommendation capabilities, more than a quarter said it is because the recommendations are not tailored to the content they like (28%) or are irrelevant to them (25%).

“Given the revelations from the first two study phases of just how tightly bonded viewers are with their entertainment, it comes as no surprise that the practice of watching TV and streaming content has liberated viewers from having to spend hours on the couch,” said Michael Hawkey senior vice president and general manager of discovery, Rovi. “It stands to reason that new trends in entertainment discovery and consumption have as much to do with the prevalence of smart mobile devices as it does with the explosion of new and compelling content and service platforms. Watching shows on-the-go also means viewers have less time to find programmes they might like ... At work and on the road, viewers want immediate, resonant guidance on the entertainment that will keep them engaged.”