OTT Video: It's a Man's World

13 Apr, 2015 By: Erik Gruenwedel

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Over-the-top video is said to target an estimated 10 million broadband households without pay-TV. New research from The NPD Group suggests most of those households apparently are men.

Millennial men aged 18-34 are the most aware and interested in subscribing directly to OTT video apps. These apps allow viewers to subscribe directly to a TV network without requiring a subscription to a cable or satellite channel bundle.

About 62% of men 18-34 years old are aware of OTT video apps. Of those 18-34 year old males who are aware, 60% are extremely or very interested in direct subscriptions to one or more of those apps, according to a January survey of 2,888 U.S. consumers age 18 and older.

The awareness and interest among this viewer segment is significantly higher than the general population. Awareness is based on respondents knowing that WWE, HBO, Showtime or CBS have begun to offer (or have announced plans to offer) direct subscriptions to their programming without requiring a pay-TV subscription from a cable or satellite provider.

Among Millennial men who are at least somewhat likely to subscribe to an OTT video app outside of their pay-TV subscription, cost is cited as two of the top three deciding factors. These apps also need to be easy to use and have a full array of content for viewing.

Other criteria cited included: Availability of movies and TV shows; app costs less than through a bundled subscription; ability to pause, fast-forward and rewind content; no buffering issues; on-demand access and channel surfing option.

“Distribution through un-authenticated networks apps is a positive step toward keeping Millennials plugged into prime time content,” John Buffone, executive director connected intelligence at NPD, said in a statement.

 

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