Consumers want best of both worlds: Pay TV and over-the-top video

SCOTTSDALE, USA: Consumers want their Internet TV, according to market research firm In-Stat. Already, based on In-Stat’s new multi-client research, 26 percent of the US consumer respondents report viewing Internet TV more than once per week. However, rather than a substitute for traditional pay TV services, consumers want Over-the-Top (OTT) Internet video to compliment traditional TV offerings.

“Consumers want the best of both worlds: Pay TV and OTT Video,” says Keith Nissen, In-Stat analyst. “Nearly 40 percent of consumer broadband household respondents want a combination of linear and on-demand TV, and nearly three quarters want to acquire all their video content from their pay TV operator.”

The recent research also found:
* While PCs remain primary devices used for viewing Internet TV, consumers are increasingly using multiple devices.
* Consumers use a several devices to get Internet video to their TVs, including PC-based and dedicated media adapters, gaming consoles, Blu-ray players and Internet-enabled TVs.
* At year end 2009, 24 million web-enabled devices were in operation in the US. This is expected to grow to 102 million by 2013.