Television’s Role in Supporting Diversity
Like most things that make American culture rich, the success of premium television rides on the diverse voices and perspectives that come together behind the scenes and on the screen. Directors, producers, showrunners and cast members are hard at work looking for the best ways to represent America's array of viewers, and most importantly, to encourage acceptance and understanding of all types of communities across the country—all through innovative storytelling. With Hispanics as the second-largest ethnic group in the U.S., it's essential that networks like Univision and El Rey provide
More Viewers Try New Ways to Watch TV
As more and more Americans are taking advantage of streaming video on demand services like Hulu or TV Everywhere apps, television as we know it is being redefined. A big part of that revolution is which screens we use to access these services. While television sets aren’t going away, they’re no longer the only place to watch our favorite shows. According to new data from Leichtman Research Group, 43 percent of adults watch tv on non-tv devices like tablets, laptops and phones. That’s up from 33 percent in 2015 and 18 percent back in 2012. As our lives grow more and more connected, we fit
New Data Shows Vast Majority of Evening Internet Traffic is From Streaming Media
Sandvine, a network policy company known for their deep research and insight into internet trends, recently released the 2016 Global Internet Phenomena Report. Among the many revealing broadband stats was one number that crystalizes just how significantly streaming content has changed how we use the internet. According to Sandvine, 71 percent of all evening internet traffic in North America is streaming audio or video content. This means that from a data volume perspective, Netflix, Hulu, Spotify, YouTube, and dozens of other popular streaming media sites are responsible for the vast bulk of
Majority of US Households Use a Streaming Video Service
The emergence of subscription video on-demand (SVOD) has revolutionized the way Americans view television. Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, and other services put consumers in control of what, when, and where they watch. Within the past few years, SVOD’s have seen a vast increase in popularity. A staggering 64 percent of Americans now have at least one SVOD subscription, compared to 47 percent in 2014. Netflix continues to be the most popular service, with 83 percent of users having a subscription. The rise of SVOD services has helped television become more accessible. Families are no longer
Game of Thrones, Breaker of Records
It may not feel like it outside, but the long summer is over and winter is here. Game of Thrones fans tuned into the show’s eagerly awaited seventh season two weeks ago in record numbers. At 16.1 million live viewers, the episode beat the HBO record for a season premiere. That’s more than the population of New York, LA, and Chicago combined. The old record for a premiere audience, you may have guessed, was also held by Thrones for last season’s debut, which brought in 10.7 million live viewers. Keep in mind that last season started much earlier in the spring months when television audiences
Cable Networks Lead the Pack for Emmy Nominations
The 69th Primetime Emmy nominations were announced yesterday and once again cable programming is the juggernaut, receiving a total of 315 nominations. HBO alone brought in 110 nominations. Westworld leads the way with the most nominations of any show (22). Ryan Murphy’s latest project on FX FEUD: Bette and Joan was the next most decorated program, raking in 18 nominations alone. The nominations also reflect new trends in powerful storytelling; the Limited Series category this year is packed with star-studded projects such as Big Little Lies, FEUD: Bette and Joan, and Fargo. In fact, every
Twitch and the Draw of Gaming Culture
As broadband speeds have increased, the home gaming experience has benefitted. That combined with improved latency means that gaming is more accessible than ever. In fact, 62 percent of U.S. households include at least one gamer, and the appetite for gaming related content is clearly reflected by the huge success of the website Twitch.tv. So, what exactly is Twitch? Twitch.tv is a video platform devoted to gaming. Specifically, it’s a place for people to watch live streams of gameplay, walkthroughs of difficult levels, live broadcasts of professional gaming tournaments, and tons of other
Americans Still Prefer Their TV Sets to Phones
We live in a time where you can catch up on American Gods on the bus or take your binge of American Horror Story with you to check the mailbox. But even with small screens always a reach away, it turns out Americans still prefer to watch on a television set. According to new data from Nielsen, 92 percent of viewing time in Q4 2016 happened on a good old fashioned television set. It makes sense that when given the choice, people choose to watch on a larger screen, particularly as programming continues to become more cinematic. Mobile viewing is just that–mobile. Why watch the game on your phone
The State of Virtual Reality In 2017
In the latest installment of our State of the Industry series, we explore the rise of virtual reality and its predicted growth worldwide as a medium that will touch many aspects of our lives in the next several years, particularly in the media and entertainment landscape. Similar to the advancements we’ve seen in internet speeds, premium television, TV Everywhere and online gaming, VR has progressed immeasurably in the past decade. In addition to the gaming space, where VR makes it biggest impact, VR is making strides in television as audiences are introduced to new apps and hardware that make
After Decades of Dreaming, is it Finally Virtual Reality's Time?
NCTA announced last month that on April 27th, we were going to host a half-day event called The Near Future. In that announcement, we shared a few details on how The Near Future was going to revolve around up-and-coming technologies and how they will soon change the way we live, work, learn, and play. One piece of technology that will surely play a big part in our conversation is virtual reality and how the latest in immersive storytelling is already transforming entertainment and the way we connect. Virtual reality has long been a part of future technology lore. The very idea of fully