Today’s competitive video marketplace is packed with free user-generated content, subscription OTT services, and even stolen and pirated content – not to mention other pay TV services like satellite and telco. To stake its claim to the future of entertainment, cable has to deliver better, more original, more diverse content on more devices in more places and with greater ease than its competitors. Period. Rather than cling to already established modes of distribution, cable has embraced TV Everywhere. Cable providers have invested millions into creating better video-on-demand experiences, bigger DVR’s, and slick, intuitive apps for multiple devices that allow customers to get the most out of their subscriptions. And the latest numbers from Digitalsmiths reveal that cable’s efforts are paying off.
You can download the full Q2 Video Discovery and Pay-TV Report HERE, but the big news from the white paper is that tablet app use by pay-TV customers is rising. The number of pay-TV customers who use their provider’s tablet app to watch programming at least once per week nearly doubled between the Q1 and Q2 report - from about 1.5 percent to 3 percent. The numbers are still small, but the trend is promising – especially when the report reveals that only 29.5 percent of poll respondents own a tablet. Additionally, the report reveals 42.9 percent of pay-TV customers who have downloaded their TV provider app use it at least once per week – up from 18.2 percent since Q1.
These two-fold increases in tablet app access and users over just one quarter are marked leaps forward in the TV Everywhere movement. It’s a sign that cable customers are rapidly shifting their viewing patterns and that cable is there with the tools to meet them. But the report also indicates that many cable customers don’t know about the TV Everywhere apps they have access to. About half of poll respondents did not know whether or not their provider even had an available app. If you’re not sure whether your operator has an app, call them or visit their web site. Or go into your mobile device’s app marketplace and search for your cable provider by name. The future of video is all about the user. Cable knows this. That’s why cable providers are leading the way in building a comprehensive and dynamic TV Everywhere experience.