• by Alex Weprin , August 3, 2018

Streaming TV is increasingly becoming “appified,” with consumption happening inside applications controlled by distributors or programmers.

That's according to the "All-Screen Streaming TV Census Report" issued by the streaming measurement and intelligence platform Conviva.

Conviva’s report shows that 72% of streaming TV viewing happens inside these apps, with 28% in a browser, and that gap is likely to widen.

Year over year, growth in viewing hours in apps was up 127%, compared to 31% growth in browser viewing, suggesting that while streaming video will grow across all metrics, the bulk of that viewership will be within apps.

In particular, smart TVs and connected TV devices such as Roku and Apple TV will lead the app-driven video ecosystem. While mobile is dominant in terms of scale, consumers spend far more time consuming video content on the TV glass.

“App-based viewing on mobile devices and connected TVs continues to grow and drive increased viewing hours, with connected TVs capturing huge engagement [and] accounting for more than 50% of viewing hours with less than a quarter of the total plays,” the Conviva report says.