“TV Everywhere” Services from Networks Have Higher Awareness, Use Than Those From Pay TV Providers

New York City, January 22, 2013--“TV Everywhere” services may be the ultimate in viewer control over where and when TV viewing happens, allowing access to programming from any Internet-enabled device. New research by GfK among pay TV households shows that their awareness and use of free TV Everywhere (TVE) capabilities from television networks is higher than for similar capabilities that are built into most pay-TV subscription packages.

For the new study, TV Everywhere 2012: A How People Use® Media Report, GfK screened 1,275 people (ages 13 to 64) for having pay TV service in their households; of these, 1,008 people identified as pay TV subscribers answered the full TV Everywhere survey.

Two thirds (64%) of consumers in pay TV homes say they are aware of TVE services from TV networks, and 37% have ever used those services, via standard or mobile websites or apps. This compares to 52% awareness for similar capabilities from pay TV companies, and 30% use.

Mobile platforms represent a significant part of the TVE phenomenon. Three in ten (30%) pay TV respondents reported using a TV network’s mobile website to access TV Everywhere features, and 34% have used a network app. For pay TV services, mobile TVE use was lower – 25% for mobile websites, and 26% for apps.

Authentication – in which users are asked to provide a username and password to gain access to TVE features – poses a substantial challenge for many users. Seven in ten (70%) TVE users would be at least somewhat deterred from using TVE if they needed to provide authentication, and 25% said they would be deterred “a lot.” Older respondents (50-64) are especially likely to say that authentication would be a deal breaker for TVE use.

“Cooperation, rather than competition, among TVE stakeholders will benefit not just consumers, but the growth of the business as a whole,” said David Tice, Senior Vice President of Media at GfK. “Standardizing and simplifying the authentication process across providers, and using a standard term or logo with consistency – whether it’s ‘TV Everywhere’ or something else – will help customers know what they are using and erase the barriers to greater use and demand.”<

To learn more about purchasing the TV Everywhere report, contact Tice at david.tice@gfk.com.