NPD Finds More Than One-In-Five Pay TV Subscribers Use TV Everywhere Monthly

Port Washington, NY, May 6, 2014--According to the latest NPD Group TV Everywhere Report, more than one-in-five (21 percent) Pay-TV subscribers use the TV Everywhere services provided by their Pay-TV operator at least once per month.

Although the Pay-TV industry has increasing concerns that “Over-The-Top” (OTT) subscription video-on-demand services (SVOD) will lead to cord cutting or cord trimming, NPD’s report finds that consumers who subscribe to SVOD are actually among the most active TV Everywhere users. Three out of four SVOD homes also have a Pay TV subscription, and 25 percent use their provider’s TV Everywhere service at least once per month.

Not only are dual SVOD and Pay-TV subscribers more likely to have tried TV Everywhere, they are also using it more frequently. Three-in-ten SVOD subscribers use TV Everywhere weekly, compared to only two-in-ten TV Everywhere users who do not subscribe to SVOD.

“Though some SVOD subscribers may be cutting the cord, the evidence is that the overwhelming majority are not only keeping the cord, they are lengthening it through aggressive use of TV Everywhere,” said Russ Crupnick, senior vice president, industry analyst. “This speaks to the level of engagement they have with programming and a comfort in using the Internet to both access and interact with that programming”

Not surprising given their investment in TV Everywhere, 9 out of 10 SVOD subscribers reported being satisfied with their TV Everywhere experience. Today those dual users say they most appreciate the ability to watch anywhere in the home, and 46 percent want the ability to actually download the shows in order to watch them outside their home.

“TV Everywhere is about mobility and control,” said Crupnick. “Customers, especially subscription streamers, are becoming accustomed to over-the-top options where the location and device are no longer barriers, and they crave a similar experience with TV Everywhere. The way to keep SVOD subscribers using TV Everywhere platforms is to make the experience even more portable.”

NPD’s TV Everywhere Report is based on an online survey of 4,205 Pay-TV subscribers. The survey was fielded in December 2013, and the sample was randomly selected to represent the U.S. population age 13+. For this report, TV Everywhere was only focused on services that are offered by Multichannel Video Programming Distributors (MVPDs); i.e. Pay-TV operators, and the usage numbers are based on broadband-enabled Pay-TV subscribers.