TV on Track to Succeed the PC as Top platform for Online Video

San Francisco, Calif., May 15, 2014--Parks Associates announced new research showing TVs are outpacing computers as the key platform for Internet video at the firm’s 18th annual CONNECTIONS™: The Premier Connected Home Conference in San Francisco. In the first quarter of 2014, U.S. broadband households watched roughly 3 hours of online video per week on each platform, but the amount of online video consumed on a TV is increasing, up from 2.3 hours per week in 1Q 2013, while online video viewing on a PC is on a steady decline.

“The amount of all video consumed on PCs has declined, dropping from over eight hours per week in 2013 to 6.2 hours per week now,” said Brett Sappington, Director of Research, Parks Associates. “Ultimately, consumers can more easily access online video options on a television than ever before. In addition to smart TVs, Blu-ray players, and game consoles, consumers are also buying streaming media players and devices such as Google’s Chromecast. Pay-TV providers are making a strong push to extend TV Everywhere to a variety of devices. These trends are converging to displace computer-based video consumption.”

The new research, 360 View: Entertainment Services in U.S. Broadband Households, found 81% of U.S. broadband households watch video on a TV set, while 60% watch content on a computer. Thirty-one percent said they watch video on a smartphone, and 28% watch on a tablet. The PC was the only platform to show any significant decline in video viewing in the past year.

Several sessions at CONNECTIONS™ feature discussions and presentations on online video viewing trends. GW Shaw, Vice President of U-verse Marketing , AT&T, addressed the topic in his opening keynote yesterday “Differentiating TV with Apps in a Competitive, Multi-Screen Market.” Upcoming keynotes at CONNECTIONS™ include:

  • Charles Cheevers, CTO, Customer Premises Equipment, ARRIS— “Gateways and Set-Top Box Evolution: Powering the Future of Home Infotainment,” May 14, 9:45 a.m.
  • Joe Chow, VP/GM - Connected Devices, Cisco Systems, Inc.—“How Can the Internet of Everything Enable Connected Life," May 14, 11:45 a.m.
  • Greg Roberts, VP, Marketing, iControl Networks— “The Internet of Toothbrushes? A Look at the Connected Home Market," May 14, 4:45 p.m.
  • Ken Durand, VP, Innovation - Connected Car, Ericsson— “The Car…Just Another Connected Device?", May 15, 9:45 a.m.
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High-level executives from start-ups, Fortune 500, venture capitalist, public relations, and media companies will discuss the following additional topics in following sessions at CONNECTIONS™ today and tomorrow:

  • Tech Support: Connected Home Strategies and Solutions
  • OTT Services in a Pay-TV World
  • Integrating Products and Smart Home Platforms
  • Managing Multiscreen Advertising: Data, Engagement, & Revenues
  • Smart Home Bundled Services: Crossing Industry Sectors to Meet Consumer Demand
  • Cracking the Window: New Trends in Content Rights
  • Extending Services to Connected Devices: APIs for Business Innovations
  • Connected Consumers: Entertainment Services and Connected Devices
  • Winning Business Models for the Connected Home
  • Tomorrow’s Set-top Boxes
  • Interoperability in the Internet of Things
  • Future of the Connected Home: Investment Perspectives Roundtable

“The turnout at CONNECTIONS™ has been tremendous, and we are looking forward to more in-depth panel discussions on the state of the connected home today and tomorrow,” said Stuart Sikes, President, Parks Associates.