The majority of consumers of all ages in Australia, Brazil, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK and US are choosing to watch video content over the internet via their televisions, PCs, smartphones and other electronic devices, according to a study by Accenture. Among 6,500 consumers surveyed, 85 percent of participants ages 18-24, 82 percent of participants ages 35-44 and 64 percent of participants over the age of 65 are accessing and interacting with video over desktops, laptops, internet-connected TVs and mobile devices. Although the television at 92 percent still dominates consumers’ viewing preference, the diversity of electronic devices that consumers use to view video is very evenly divided. About 75 percent of respondents use a desktop computer, 72 percent use a laptop and 63 percent use mobile devices to access content. Tablet computers, such as iPads which are new to the marketplace, lag behind the pack at 21 percent. Watching video on non-traditional devices is trending upward. In the past year, viewing increased on laptops with 35 percent, desktops with 28 percent and internet-enabled TVs with 26 percent. These trends were seen across all age groups. Growth percentages for most devices were nearly identical for the 25-34 year old and 18-24 year old age groups.
The content delivery choices available in the digital world has also changed the nature of the entire viewing experience, including traditional TV watching. There is no longer a single delivery channel or device that receives the uninterrupted attention of viewers. About 81 percent said they multi-task with other devices while watching TV. Nearly half, about 48 percent, use a laptop while watching, 41 percent use a mobile device and 28 percent use a desktop computer. When it comes to choosing their favourite internet/broadband TV features and functions, a large number of respondents, about 40 percent, pointed to catch-up TV, which enables them to watch content that they may have missed. However, only 14 percent of respondents wish to surf the web on their televisions and only 11 percent desire interactive and social networking functionality. A large percentage of tablet-enabled consumers, about 54 percent, is interested in using them for fairly standard video-on-demand and catch-up functions. Though 44 percent of tablet users are interested in the ability to interact with on-air programming to receive additional content related to what they are viewing. Although consumers are viewing video on multiple devices, quality rules the day when they consider selecting new services. About 48 percent identified clarity of picture and speed of content delivery as important technical features they look for in an internet video service. This proportion was statistically consistent across all age groups. High-definition viewing was a distant second at 27 percent. The ease of user interface in enabling search and content management, and the use of recommendation engines to point viewers toward content in which they might be interested followed with 14 percent and 11 percent, respectively.