GfK Charts Rise of ‘Digital Enthusiasts’

NEW YORK: About 40 percent of TV viewers in the U.S. are "Digital Enthusiasts" who subscribe to three or more online video services plus cable TV, GfK MRI says in a new report.

Of this new category of Digital Enthusiasts, 44 percent use TV network apps that do not require a cable subscription, and 35 percent use authenticated apps. This group is spending on average close to $11 a month on apps. GfK's TV Share of Clock study also reports that 57 percent of Digital Enthusiasts are frequent binge viewers.

The study also identified other new viewing groups: TV 2.0, who are accessing traditional and streaming TV content, mostly through their TV sets; and On-the-Go Getters, who watch their TV programming only on mobile devices.

Another finding of the study is that 28 percent of TV viewing is done via digital streaming—16 percent via free online platforms on a computer or mobile device, 9 percent through online streaming on a TV set, and 3 percent from other methods, including gaming consoles.

Mobile viewing is rising in use, the report states, with 30 percent of TV viewers having watched a show on a phone in the last 30 days, and 29 percent having used a tablet. Mobile's share of viewing is still small, though, at 8 percent.

“Our study reveals important new populations of TV viewers, emphasizing how TV has taken on a whole new meaning, with different approaches to combining streaming and traditional platforms and viewing,” said Christie Kawada, the executive VP of product management and innovation at GfK MRI. “We live in a new type of video ecosystem, where online video and live TV co-exist amongst traditional cable offerings, apps and digital streaming of live TV. These platforms are creating added demand for one another; viewers are checking out more—and different—content, and ultimately watching more. Even digitally savvy viewers still value time-honored TV experiences, like social viewing and second-screen experiences, thus keeping linear viewing strong in today’s digital world.”