Survey: TV Everywhere Remains an Enigma

14 Oct, 2015 By: Erik Gruenwedel

---

TV Everywhere (TVE), which enables pay-TV subscribers to watch programming on demand on connected devices, remains a mystery to most consumers, according to a new survey.

Consumer awareness of the ability to watch programs on devices other than a TV, typically through apps provided free to subscribers, remains persistently low at 36%, according to consulting firm Altman Vilandrie & Co. The online survey of more than 3,400 U.S. consumers conducted in July was commissioned by Epix, the multi-tiered content distributor co-owned by Lionsgate, Paramount Pictures and MGM.

The number of U.S. TV households without pay TV service is about 17% and growing, according to the survey. That is the percentage of households upstart OTT video services such as Sling TV, HBO Now and PlayStation Vue and Showtime are targeting.

TVE was supposed to be pay-TV’s answer to over-the-top video and Netflix — the latter turning the television landscape on its ear through original programming and binge viewing.

Indeed, pay-TV subs aware of TVE are more likely to use their provider’s on-demand service weekly to watch movies (32% vs. 20%) and TV shows (44% vs. 27%) than those who are unaware.

Changing consumer opinion on TVE begins with millennials (ages 18-34), who are significantly less likely to subscribe (72%) to pay-TV than consumers over 35 (86%). That’s because among millennials aware of TVE, 70% say they use the service monthly — well above the 43% of all multichannel video subscribers aware of TVE.

Among all weekly TVE users, millennials are at least twice as likely as consumers over 35 to use TVE to view movies (38% vs. 16%), live TV (30% vs. 15%), recorded shows (33% vs. 15%) and live sports (31% vs. 12%).

“Young viewers tend to be mobile device viewers and the survey shows that the best way for pay-TV operators to capture and retain those consumers is through TVE,” said survey director Jonathan Hurd. “However, providers need to do a much better job of promoting TV Everywhere and driving its usage or risk continued erosion of subscribers, especially millennials.”

 

Bookmark it: