Yesterday, CTAM, the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing, announced a new, aggressive and first-of-its-kind campaign to promote the idea, the brand, and the value of tv everywhere. For many, tv everywhere – the idea that we can watch cable content on myriad devices in any location - has been a part of the television experience for a number of years. Products like Comcast’s Xfinity and devices like tablets and smartphones have made tv everywhere possible for millions of early-adopter customers. But for others, it’s an entirely revolutionary concept - one that will take time and effort to incorporate into their TV watching routine.
Shifts in TV habits precipitated by new technologies aren’t new to cable. In the 1970’s, pay-per-view became an entirely new way of enjoying live programming at home. In the 90’s, broadband, perhaps the ultimate entertainment disruptor, established itself as the new standard for Internet speed and access. And in the 2000’s, DVRs and on-demand technology freed us from time constraints, allowing customers to watch what they want, when they want. tv everywhere has the ability to change content consumption in the same way. When we’re no longer tethered to our home TVs – not even tied to being in our homes – the TV experience becomes limitless. The tv everywhere campaign (purposefully left lower-case) will focus on educating consumers on the value and usage of watching programming across multiple devices and platforms both in and out of the home.
The end goal of CTAM’s campaign is simple, but aggressive: Increasing awareness and adoption by 150%. Specifically, by year-end 2014, CTAM wants 50% awareness by cable customers (compared with roughly 20% today) and 50% usage. Creating a true tv everywhere experience was once a hefty goal - it was practically unimaginable five years ago. But today we can take TV with us almost anywhere. Changing tv everywhere from a promise to a phenomenon relies on more than just technology deployment – it depends on successful campaigns like this one to lead customers to take full advantage of their cable subscription not just at home, but everywhere.