Games consoles and OTT devices increase share of online TV viewing

Games consoles and OTT devices now hold a 10% market share for online TV content viewed, up 194% year-on-year at the expense of PC-based viewing, according to Adobe.

Adobe Digital Index’s (ADI’s) Q2 Video Benchmark report claims that the share of TV everywhere-style online TV video authentications from a web browser shrank by 41% year-on-year, now claiming a market share of 19%.

iOS apps were the most popular means of accessing online TV services provided by cable and satellite providers , accounting for 51% of the market, up slightly from 48% share last year. Android apps placed second with 20% market share, after experiencing 28% growth year-on-year.

The Adobe report also found that the monthly frequency of online TV content being viewed across different network channels is “steadily increasing”, with viewers watching an average of 4.5 movies per month, up from two per month last year.

“It appears that consumers are broadening their appetite for online TV to beyond just sports,” said ADI analyst Joe Martin.

“2014 was the largest digitally available sports year ever. Consumers took the time to set up online TV accounts so they could get access to the major sporting events, and we are seeing it spill over into movie and episodic television content. As we see this shift in viewing behaviour, marketers need be prepared with strategies that are in line with the changing content consumption habits.”

Overall, Adobe said that online TV consumption has increased 388% year-on-year, driven by flexibility in operators letting viewers watch shows however, whenever, and wherever they want.