TV Everywhere Growth Surges 388%

Television is changing and viewers are embracing and personalizing it as they're consumption habits morph. According to Adobe's bi-annual Video Benchmark Report, authenticated TV Everywhere viewing surged 388% in the second quarter compared to the same quarter last year. Indicating that more people watched more TV online than ever before while programmers witnessed broader use as unique monthly viewers increased by 146 per cent across browsers and TV apps. Although online TV consumption still remains fragmented across platforms, gaming consoles and OTT devices gained the largest percentage of market share and Android apps surpassed desktop browsers as access points for watching TV online.

The findings from Adobe’s Report are based on aggregated and anonymous data from more than 1,300 media and entertainment properties using Adobe Marketing Cloud and Adobe Primetime. They noted that a series of major global sports events buoyed results, including the Sochi Winter Olympics, March's NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament and the summer's World Cup. The report includes 165 billion total online video starts and 1.53 billion TV Everywhere authentications across 250 pay-TV service providers covering 99 per cent of pay-TV households in the US. The analysis also examined TV Everywhere content from 105 TV channels and more than 300 TV apps and sites. More: 10/21/14 FierceCable.com - TV Everywhere use surges: authenticated viewing jumped 388% in Q2, Adobe says  Also MediaPost.com 10/21/14 - Devices And OTT Lead Video Consumption Growth

Dish Digital prepares to Launch Nutv

In what appears to be a common theme trending in the industry today, Dish’s internet TV service, Nutv, plans to launch before the end of the year. Dish Digital, the satellite operator’s online business subsidiary that is going to be in charge of the new service, has filed a number of trademarks for the brand, including one with a logo that could be used at launch.

The Nutv brand has also surfaced in conjunction with one of Dish Digital’s existing apps, suggesting that the app may be used for the new service as well. Dish has secured digital licensing deals with The Walt Disney Company and A+E Networks so far to program the service. It's unclear at this point if it will make more content deals, given that obtaining a low under $30 price point is key to the new offering. A Dish executive recently said that the company plans to target “cord cutters, cord nevers and… cord haters” with the service.  Dish chairman Charlie Ergen said during the company's second quarter earnings call in August, "We'd like to get them started on pay-TV. We'd like to get them started on ESPN. My concern is that we're missing a while generation of customers."

Shomi - A New Kind of Video Streaming Service

Shomi is a future Canadian video streaming service owned jointly by Rogers Communications and Shaw Communications, tentatively planned to launch in November 2014. According to the companies press release, the new subscription-based service that provides access to shows on-demand, with apps for tablets, phones, web, Xbox 360 and set-top boxes at launch. The shomi service will be available only to Rogers and Shaw Internet or TV subscribers n its beta form, and it’ll be available beginning in November for $8.99 per month price tag, the same, as Netflix.

Shomi’s entire launch document for this service is an obvious attack on Netflix, with the inference being that for Canadians, at least, it’ll provide a much better content library, offer over 11,000 hours of programming. The focus seems to be especially on TV shows, though in addition to 14,000 episodes and TV titles spanning 340 series, shomi will have 1,200 movies. In keeping with Canadian content regulations imposed on broadcasters in the country, 30 percent of the content is Canadian.

As for other advantages, shomi offers trailers to preview its content, as well as “factoids for movie titles,” whatever the hell that means. Surprisingly, given this is coming from cable companies, shomi isn’t being stingy with viewing permissions, allowing up to six profiles per account and simultaneous viewing on two devices as well as their set top boxes. Netflix, which doesn’t make a big deal about shared accounts, still allows simultaneous streaming on only two screens at a time with its basic account. Plus, this will presumably work on user’s existing cable boxes in the country, which could drive adoption based just on convenience.

Cloud based DVR's are on the Way

According to hothardward.com, Comcast is currently testing a cloud DVR service called X2 in the Boston market. Cloud base technology offers consumers the ability to watch whatever programming they record wherever and whenever they choose to view it. The current test only allows for tests on iPhones and iPads and at present it is unclear when other types of devices will be added. At CES earlier this month STB manufactures like Cisco, Alcatel Lucent, Simple.tv,Tivo and others proudly demo-ed their versions of this technology however none of them had a large scale test in place at the time. MORE: hothardware.com - 01/20/14 Comcast Testing Cloud DVR In Boston, Take Your TV Shows On The Road by Seth Colaner

TV Everywhere Viewing takes off

New data available from FreeWheel finally quanitifies the fact that TV Everywhere is finally real.  Since the inception of the concept, critics could confidently claim that the authentication of subscribers on non-TV devices was failing to materialize, however, in the past 12 months authenticated video viewing grew 217% and comprises an impressive 14% of all ad views on long-form content.

Brian Dutt, manager of advisory services at FreeWheel stated “Over time, we expect that this will drive increased monetization of half-hour and hour-long TV programs (as well as live streams) across all screens.  Late this year, the industry also achieved a 1:1 ratio between ad views and video views which, according to Dutt, indicates that monetization is finally catching up with viewing behavior.  Dutt beleive that all of this is proving that programmers are finally figuring out how to bring TV experiences to viewers across all devices while monetizing it at the same time. As such, the content mix is continuing to evolve with long-form growing most quickly (56%), led by scripted drama and sports. More: 12/03/13 FierceOnline Video - TV Everywhere ad viewing spikes 9 percentage points between Q4 2012 and Q3 2013 - FierceOnlineVideo or Download FreeWheel's Video Monetization Q3 2013 Report

TiVo - To Roam or not to Roam

The DVR pioneers at TiVo are back with the recent launch of a new line of devices that promise closer integration of streaming services and personal recordings. Their cool new trick; out-of-home (OOH) streaming of both live and recorded shows, with the ability to download shows to to smartphones and tablets from anywhere. The company says that the new Roamio line combines the functionality of a DVR, Apple TV, Roku and Slingbox and even with all of those devices in a user’s entertainment centre; they still wouldn’t have access to everything a Roamio can do for them. It says that while doing what other cable set-top-boxes don’t do: combine all the best of linear TV with all the best over-the-top content, TV lovers now have the ability to roam free and both control and consume from out of the home through a mobile device. According to Colin Dixon, chief analyst and Founder of nScreenMedia, "The TiVo Roamio has reset the bar for what a DVR can do by making all that functionality and content available anywhere will allow users to get more value from the content they already pay for.” For now, the connectivity only works with iOS devices but the company has plans to roll out to Android sometime next year.

 

Now I'll admit that I've always have a soft spot in my heart for TiVo because truly, their early product was literally years ahead of it's time but now I must question.... is it enough to keep the company relevant? I guess only time will tell. As always, your thoughts and comments are welcome.

 

Turner To Launch Live Streaming for TNT, TBS

Not to be out done by yesterdays ABC live streaming announcement, Wednesday Turner Broadcasting released news about their newly created "Watch TNT" and "Watch TBS" apps for tablets and smartphones . The networks will both stream on-air content live across multiple platforms 24/7, available via the networks' websites as well as the apps.  Turner continues its push to become a year-round home to original programming as they also announced their upcoming new scripted and unscripted fare including series from top producers like Steven Spielberg, Diablo Cody, Denis Leary, Sylvester Stallone, Dick Wolf and Jamie Foxx.

I expect many more networks to soon join the ranks of HBO, Turner and ABC as more programmers and distributors reach "TV Everywhere" deals. Obviously these are designed to make content more available to subscribers and stave off competition for new OTT rivals. For now all of this seems great speaking from the perspective of one who travels a great deal. At some point however I see an upcoming post about the frustrations of manage 100's of individual apps in order to see my favorite shows while on the road. That app from DishTV looks like it will be the benchmark for other video providers in the future and these separate networks app's are simply a short term work around.

Time Warner Cable adds Live Programming to TV Everywhere App

Following the lead of rivals Comcast and DIRECTV, Time Warner Cable has announced that today it is adding live programming to its TWC TV app.  Currently content is only available to subscribers who own Apple tablets or smartphones but they will introduce the new programming to other platforms later this year. As of today the live channels include; the Big Ten Network, the Pac-12 Network, BBC America, beIN Sports,  FearNet, GMC and some local outlets.

 
Time Warner Cable COO Rob Marcus told analysts on an earnings call in January that Time Warner was working on signing deals with programmers that include rights to out-of-home viewing. He said the TWC TV app generated more than 750,000 unique users in December. Many of the largest programmers, including Walt Disney Co. and TWC sister company Turner Networks, have not made agreements yet which include content streaming however as content deals come up for renewal this cable-industry shift toward "TV Everywhere" will prevail as the MVPD's push the content providers for broader carriage deals. MORE - 04/17/13 Rapid TV News - Time Warner Cable adds out-of-home access to TV everywhere app

Twitter Shopping TV Programming Deals

It's no secret that Twitter has recognized the power of video. In 2012 they developed a partnership with Disney/ABC's ESPN to offer highlights and sports clips on the site. Earlier this year it announced a deal with The Weather Company to offer weather-related videos (ouch... AccuWeather!). Today according to a report from Bloomberg, the San Francisco-based company is close to reaching partnerships with television networks that would bring more high-quality video content and advertising to the social site.  The deals (potentially with Viacom and NBCUniversal) are said to be for short clips, not full-length episodes, similar to the company's current partnerships. Frankly it makes sense that Twitter would continue to develop partnerships of this kind.  Videos from Viacom properties i.e. The Daily Show, Colbert Report, MTV, etc. are some of the most shareable on the social network.

According to Bloomberg which first broke the story, the partnerships would let Twitter stream videos on its site and split the resulting ad revenue with the networks. Obviously the rapid rise of Netflix, Amazon Prime and the cable industries moves to the TV Everywhere concept and Hulu's future up in the air as its owners contemplate selling, the marketplace could be giving Twitter a good entry point that they can monetize.

Aereo Continues to Push Forward

Barry Diller's streaming video service Aereo continues to win its courtroom victories. Last year, a federal judge in New York rejected TV networks' request to prohibit the service from launching its new video-on-demand offering. Today the Second Circuit Court of Appeals has declined to issue an injunction that would have shut down Aereo, the streaming service that delivers broadcast signals to customers willing to pay $8 a month. Meanwhile, according to the Wall Street Journal, the company is bolstering its programming with ATnT, which is talking about packaging high speed Internet service with Aereo’s programming and Dish Network is looking at ways to use Aereo as a way of offering low-cost programing packages to its customers.

“Today’s decision from the Second Circuit Court of Appeals again validates that Aereo’s technology falls squarely within the law and that’s a great thing for consumers who want more choice and flexibility in how, when and where they can watch television,” said Chet Kanojia, Aereo CEO and Founder. “The ruling to uphold Judge Nathan’s decision sends a powerful message that consumer access to free-to-air broadcast television is still meaningful in this country and that the promise and commitment made by the broadcasters to program in the public interest in exchange for the public’s spectrum, remains an important part of our American fabric.”

Broadcasters have argued Aereo violates copyright rules by streaming over-the-air signals to customers so the court decision is a major set-back. Moreover, other pay TV distributors could be prompted to create similar services to avoid paying broadcasters retransmission consent fees. In the U.S. almost $2 billion dollars were paid by TV distributors last year for broadcast programming, up 33% over the prior year according to SNL Kagan. More: Deadline 04/01 - Aereo Exploring Alliances With Pay TV Distributors: WSJ  Also See: SMM Post from 1/13/13 – Aereo: An Industry Disrupter!

UPDATE 04/03/13 - In a surprising move given ongoing legal challenges between the respective services, FilmOn.TV founder and CEO Alki David – the billionaire media entrepreneur – has congratulated the legal team at Internet TV streaming service Aereo on what he describes as its “hugely significant” win in court against the Major Networks… More: AdvancedTelevision 4/03 - FilmOn welcomes Aereo ruling

TV Everywhere - Boom or Bust?

Slingbox HD

I travel to almost an excessive level for work and that put me in a position very early on for adopting some kind of a "TV Everywhere" mindset. If my providers could not deliver it, technology would, hence I installed a slingbox about 3+ years ago. It of course was not the perfect solution but it was a reasonable work around while the industry came to grips with getting the consumer's the product that they wanted.  It was slightly before that time bellwethers Comcast and Time Warner proposed the TV Everywhere initiative and cable executives were hailing it a savior for the industry amid new kinds of competition.

So where are we now? Well earlier this week during a panel about TV at the 4A's conference in New Orleans the general consensus of an esteemed panel industry leaders was that the TV Everywhere initiative hasn’t worked so well. “It's awful from a consumer standpoint and I'm embarrassed," said David Levy, president of sales, distribution and sports at Turner Broadcasting System.  Although the premise of TV Everywhere seems like a is a fairly straightforward one, NBCUniversial's new EVP, Lauren Zalaznick said that "TV Everywhere's biggest problem is that no one can agree on what TV Everywhere really means".

 A growing number of network executives have been moaning about the disparate iterations of TV Everywhere. Every network seems to have a different way to handle it and frustration abounds.  From a consumer perspective, knowing that all the video -- live and recorded -- is truly available from any access point goes a long way in clarifying the confusion that seems to stymie usage. If the user doesn’t have to second-guess whether and where each piece of content resides, then TV Everywhere has a shot at becoming a reflex.  There is a big market here Netflix, the Super bowl, Olympics and no doubt this year’s March Madness are all proof to this.  TV networks, producers and video service providers need to work together to figure this out — before someone else does! For now I guess I'll just have to stick with my good ole Slingbox. Now where's that suitcase?


43% of pay-TV subscribers have used a TV Everywhere service

This is according to a new study from GfK Media, by way of a report from Multichannel News. While that number is impressive (I certainly fall into that catagory) fewer than 1 in 5 pay-TV knew what “TV Everywhere” meant. What's holding pay-TV customers back from greater adoption? Well, for one, the entire process of authenticating their TV subscriptions. Among those who have watched TV programming online, 70% said the authentication process would probably deter them from using a TV Everywhere service. Among the other findings from the survey of over 1,000 people, TV networks/programmers are currently doing better than MSOs and other providers when it comes to consumer adoption of their TV Everywhere offerings. The findings show that 37% of those who have ever viewed TV content online, watched it through a network's app or website. On the other hand, only 30% of those surveyed indicated watching TV programming through a cable operator or TV distributor's online portal. How important is TV Everywhere in regards to customer retention? Among those who use TV Everywhere services, 65% of respondents said the services were inconsequential in determining whether to keep their current provider, while 25% said it made them more likely to keep their current provider. Wall Street Journal/Digits Blog or Multichannel News