Adobe: TV everywhere edges up in growth


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Michelle Clancy

| 26 February 2016




Apple iOS devices are still the top conduit for watching TV everywhere (TVE), but increasingly authentications are coming from connected devices, especially Roku.



RTVN 26 Feb AdobeAccording to the Adobe Digital Index (ADI) Q4 Digital Video Benchmark report, the iOS share of TVE decreased 20% year-over-year, while connected devices saw 31% growth. Roku-based authentication specifically increased 14% quarter-over-quarter (major broadcast networks added channels to Roku in mid-November).

All of this is against the backdrop that overall household penetration, standing at just 17.4%, is still not very high. But uptake has doubled (102%) in the past year, so the trends overall are positive. And, active TVE users increased 22% quarter-over-quarter, which is notable since previous quarter growth ranged from 12% to 14%.

“Marketers need to be aware of consumer behaviour and where it is shifting to so they can optimise their own ad experiences,” said Becky Tasker, managing analyst at ADI, in the report. “Right now we’re still seeing the bulk of advertising and interaction happening on traditional television, but TV everywhere should not be ignored. Marketers should already be planning and testing so that when penetration does occur, they can have a better handle of how they’re going to shift their marketing dollars to attract that audience.”

Broadcast and cable content had the highest TVE growth year-over-year, at 111%, according to ADI’s analysis.

“This is the first time we've seen that, and we think it’s because of some of these fall TV premieres and people waiting to watch when it’s most convenient for them instead of when it broadcasts on the actual cable channel,” Tasker said.

According to Rethink Research, Comcast is far and away the most successful US TV provider when it comes to TV everywhere, with 10.1 million users. Satellite bigwig DirecTV is a close second, with 9.3 million users. After that, it’s Time Warner Cable, with 6.3 million; DISH Network and AT&T each have 2.1 million; Verizon two million; Charter, 1.4 million; and Cablevision came in last among the big national providers, with just 200,000.