By : Erik Gruenwedel | Posted: 22 Jul 2009
egruenwedel@questex.com

Spurred by increased time-shifted programming offered by cable operators, video-on-demand usage in June topped 589 million (largely free) transactions, the most thus far in 2009, according to Rentrak.

The Portland, Ore.-based media measurement company July 22 said there was an average of 16.5 minutes of VOD viewing a day per active unique set-top box, which represents a one-and-a-half minute per set-top box viewing increase, compared to May.

Rentrak said the month of June delivered a 15% increase in overall VOD transactions and a 16% increase in the number of unique set-top boxes accessing on-demand content. Additionally, free-on-demand children’s content was up 7% from May and delivered its strongest month of the year, with more than 106 million transactions.

The results would appear to underscore recent data from DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group, which reported a 21% increase in mid-year digital distribution (cable VOD) revenue to $968 million, including day-and-date releases with DVD and Blu-ray Disc new movie releases.
 

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