Google Says YouTube Activity Impacts Television Viewing

Google is citing a new study tracking TV viewer interest over the course of the
year based on Google search and YouTube views. While Facebook and Twitter scramble to attract more TV advertisers to their platforms, Google also wants a bigger piece of the pie. It believes TV networks should view YouTube as a cornerstone of their marketing campaigns, an indispensable tool for speaking to younger viewers. According to the study, 90% of TV viewers also visit Google and YouTube and their online behavior is a clear indicator of a show’s popularity. More: MediaPost Search Marketing Daily 04/10/14 - Google Links Searches, YouTube To Television Viewing and The Wrap 04/10/14 - Like Facebook and Twitter, Google Tries to Prove TV Needs Its Help 

Apple TV, Roku _ Who's Winning the OTT War and what are we Watching

Among those who use streaming media players, Roku owners access new subscription video platforms more than Apple TV which becomes more interesting when you factor in that currently there are more Apple TV devices deployed. This new research was published and presented at this week's NAB show by Parks Associates where they profiled the different device owners streaming and content purchasing habits. Their findings showed that 86% of Roku owners use one or more subscription OTT service, versus only 77% of Apple TV owners. Additionally, 75% of Roku owners use Netflix, compared to 63% among the Apple TV crowd. As a point of difference, more Apple TV owners use Amazon Prime Instant Video – 40% versus 28% and Apple TV also has a clear lead in sales passing $1 billion last year. On a similar topic, the latest study from video delivery firm Qwilt shows that Amazon's Instant Video is the third largest video site (March 2014), behind Netflix (57.5 percent) and YouTube (16.9 percent). Although it's sitting at a modest 3%, Amazon is still beating out Hulu (2.8 percent). I expect to see this number rising  considerably, since this data was collected before the Fire TV set-top box hit the market last week. More: 04/09/14 Advanced Television - More Roku owners than Apple TV owners use OTT and 04/09/14 Multichannel News - Roku Tops Apple TV In OTT Usage: Study and Qwilt 04/04/14 - Amazon Rising – Amazon’s Streaming Video Surpasses Hulu and Apple

Local Broadcasters Test Over-the-Air Interactive TV

I think we'll all find this upcoming test interesting to follow. Broadcasters in three cities are teaming up with technology companies to test over-the-air, interactive TV. The trial is intended to demonstrate the capability for viewing enhanced content and advertising delivered to LG Smart TVs in Atlanta, Cleveland and Orlando markets during live news broadcasts. Utilizing an internet back channel will give the stations the ability to add interactive components to their newscasts which offer viewers with LG Smart TV's polling and other interactive services. The tests also plan to include additional photo and map overlays offered to viewers wanting more information about particular news events and weather reports, as well as personalized traffic information and content from the station’s own websites. Functionality also includes the ability to interact with advertising by requesting more information such as store locations or receiving coupons.

The driving force behind this test is Pearl, a venture that consist of eight TV station groups that was formed four years ago to explore and pursue new opportunities in digital media. Currently Pearl TV broadcasters reach 111 million U.S. households representing 63 percent of the U.S. population with 170 network-affiliated and top-ranked TV stations that collectively book nearly $4 billion in annual advertising revenue.

Stations participating in Atlanta are WSB (Cox), WGCL (Meredith) and WXIA (Gannett). Cleveland stations that are participating in the trial include WOIO (Raycom), WEWS (Scripps) and WKYC (Gannett). In Orlando, participating stations are WKMG (Post-Newsweek), WFTV (Cox) and WESH (Hearst).