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Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Fifth of TV viewers watching online: survey

Why are people watching online. "It showed that 50 percent of people viewing TV on the Web are watching programs as they become available and "appear to be beginning to use the computer as a substitute for the television set," Integrated Media Measurement Inc. (IMMI), which conducted the poll, said. The other half are using the Internet to watch programs they have missed, or to re-watch segments or episodes they have already seen, IMMI, a company which links media exposure to consumer action, added." I say they are watching on the internet because these same shows are not being offered via on demand on their TV set.

The web provides much more variety than most cable operators offer. If able to watch these programs on a bigger screen, I expect that more would choose the latter. I also suspect that where consumers watch also matters. These users may not have a TV set in their office, but do have a internet connected pc for watching this content. This is a relatively new phenomenon and office productivity most likely suffers as users multiplex between watching their shows and doing their work. As companies catch on, this availability may be blocked.

The TV continues to be the primary screen to watch long form content. Content available on the web needs to also be available through on demand. Navigation needs to improve on the TV to search and select from this much larger variety of product. We have become an on demand consumer and have become less likely to wait for our shows to appear. We want it all and we want it now. Internet viewing reflects this growing appetite. On demand viewing needs to duplicate this ever growing buffet of choice.