OTT Video Viewing Up by 30 Percent

NEW YORK: Over the top (OTT) video viewing has grown by more than 30 percent this year, with smartphones, video game consoles and video rental services as the main drivers, finds a new report from Knowledge Networks.

Monthly use of alternative methods for viewing TV programs or movies rose from 26 percent in 2010 to 35 percent in 2011, within the 13-to-54 age bracket. This includes content streamed or downloaded to view on a TV, computer, smartphone, iPod touch or tablet. Monthly use of any digital service connected to a TV rose by almost 50 percent during the year, from 13 percent to 19 percent, within the same demographic.

Video viewing on Internet-connected video game consoles grew from 6 percent to 12 percent. Viewing on mobile rose from 5 percent to 10 percent. The use of streaming video rental services, such as Netflix, increased from 13 percent to 26 percent.

“The number of platforms that account for significant video viewing is approaching a dozen,” said David Tice, the VP and group account director at Knowledge Networks. “This poses a variety of challenges—in measurement, accountability, planning, and targeting. But every challenge contains an opportunity to find new efficiencies in reaching key audiences, adding relevance to ads. Video is increasingly un-tethered, but the core elements of the video experience, and the rich context it provides, remain remarkably intact.”