CES Launches Reflect OTT TV Mobile Boom

London, UK, January 11, 2016 - The standout CES 2016 trend towards multiscreen TV experiences is supported by new research, which finds that mobile devices are the most popular choices for watching paid OTT TV content, with 66% of consumers globally preferring to access Internet TV via a mobile, tablet or laptop.

CES launches of 4K screens on mobile devices and debuts of new Airplay, Chromecast and Miracast enabled devices support research findings that younger audiences (18-34s) now use almost twice as many devices as over 55s to watch TV – which jumps to three times as many in the US - and therefore increasingly demand seamless switching between content across connected devices. This is according to a recent Research Now study, commissioned by Paywizard, the expert in subscriber management for pay-TV.

Bhavesh Vaghela, CMO at Paywizard comments: “In December, over 50% of consumers worldwide planned to use OTT TV services such as Netflix, and this recent popularity surge – led by millennials – has altered day-to-day device usage. At CES we’ve seen companies like Samsung address this changing landscape, and so too must pay-TV providers, by making sure that popular content is easily accessible via numerous platforms, without leading to fragmented consumer experiences. Responding to this trend will also be key to combating churn in the year ahead. The fact that different devices are favoured by different demographics shows the need to treat customers in different ways. Based on how they want to consume their entertainment, operators can employ sophisticated customer retention tactics that target specific persona profiles – from marketing to billing to personalising the user experience,” continued Bhavesh.

The findings come from a global study which analysed how consumers in Australia, Brazil, Germany, Singapore, the UK and US, planned on watching TV in late December 2015, including which TV services they prefer and which devices they plan to use. Other highlights from the research include:

  • Gamers have a soft spot for Internet TV: Game console owners are the least likely to watch TV in general, however are the most likely consumer group to watch Internet TV content at 89% and also the most likely to consider signing up to a new Internet TV service
  • US consumers are most likely to access TV in general via game consoles: Compared to all other countries surveyed, US consumers are most likely to watch TV via a games console at 12% compared to the UK at 8%
  • Younger audiences gravitate to mobile: 18-24s are the age group most likely to watch TV on mobile (35%), whereas 25-34s are the most likely group to watch TV on tablets (32%)

The complete Paywizard study is available to download here.