• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, April 21, 2014

According to the latest Horowitz Associates State of Cable & Digital Media study, TV content viewers say they spend 20% of their viewing hours streaming content, compared to 13% in 2013. This change has been driven by an increase in streaming directly to the TV set, which will impact viewers’ relationships to TV providers and network brands, concludes the report.

Today, 62% of TV content viewers either own a Smart TV or have the capability to stream content to their TV through another device.  31% of the study respondents say they spend at least some TV viewing time streaming broadband content to the TV set; those who do stream to the TV spend a 30% of their viewing time doing so.

Streaming to the TV is becoming the “new normal” for accessing broadband-delivered content.  In 2013, TV viewers reported spending 5% of their viewing time on the computer, 3% on a mobile device, and 5% streaming content to the TV. In 2014, computer and mobile device numbers stayed relatively flat, while the percent of time spent streaming content to the TV set doubled.

Adriana Waterston, Horowitz’ SVP, Marketing and Business Development “… fragmentation of viewing in the age of digital media is not a new conversation…   But gaming consoles, Blu-Ray players, and… Google Chromecast… taking the conversation to the next level… ”

Waterson concludes by noting that “… before, the ‘lean-back’ TV experience… implied broadcast or cable viewing… today… it’s more commonplace for some other platform or provider to deliver that lean-back experience…. no longer assume… what people mean when they say they are ‘watching TV’…”

For more information from Horowitz, please visit here.