Own a Streaming Media Device, Watch More Discs

7 Oct, 2015 By: Erik Gruenwedel

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Own a Roku, Apple TV, Blu-ray Disc player or video game console and odds are good you’ll watch more Internet video on the television. That’s the upshot of new data from Parks Associates that found U.S. broadband households with a streaming media device watch 22 hours or more weekly of video on the TV, compared with 18 hours weekly for households without one of the devices.

Interestingly, households with a media player apparently also watch more DVD and Blu-ray titles, in addition to on-demand programing, according to the Parks chart.

Streaming media device owners watch double the amount of Internet video on the TV, consuming six hours per week compared with three hours among non-owners, but only eight hours of broadcast TV compared with 10 hours for households without a streaming media device.

“Adoption of streaming devices, combined with an increasing supply of OTT options, has altered the video environment, demanding new business models in advertising, content creation, and video subscriptions,” Brett Sappington, director of research with Parks, said in a statement.

Indeed, there are more than 28 million Web-enabled BD players in use, which is up from 27.9 million in 2014, according to data from eMarketer. BD players trail connected televisions (35.3 million) and video game consoles (51.7 million) — but lead Google Chromecast (22.8 million), Roku (22.6 million) and Apple TV (17.7 million).

Despite growth projections for Apple TV (15.7%), Roku (11.5%), Smart TVs (7.4%) and game consoles (6.5%), BD player user growth is slated to increase 0.7% this year.

Parks said streaming media device owners watch more VOD and physical media because they watch less linear content. Device owners are also watching more Internet video in general.

Sappington attributes the rise in BD player use (and disc use) with a growing consumer demand for on-demand programing, driven in large part by the proliferation of subscription streaming services such as Hulu Plus, CBS All Access, HBO Now and Showtime.

“By January 2016, we will see the impact of these moves, and how Netflix responds to the changes. I think that the key element is interest in on-demand viewing. It spikes higher for those that are willing to pay for a device that enables that type of consumption," Sappington said in an email.

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