Millions of consumers to welcome three-screen bundled services
Feb 6, 2009 8:10 AM
While many TV stations continue to develop alternative platforms like the Web and mobile phones for the distribution of news, sports and weather, their efforts may soon become even more important to their branding and local identity as cable, telco and satellite providers begin offering integrated three-screen services, according to new research from The Diffusion Group.
Today, consumers wishing to watch video on their televisions, computers and mobile devices must sign up for three different service contracts with three different providers, said TDG principal analyst and President Michael Greeson. Eventually, these operators will begin bundling these three services with one price, one point of customer contact and one integrated electronic program guide.
“Though very few have the assets and acumen to pull it off, rest assured every major cable, satellite and mobile operator is actively pursuing a three-screen strategy. As our new research suggests, they'd be crazy not to,” Greeson said.
Among the key findings in TDG’s new “Assessing Consumer Demand for Integrated Three-Screen Video Services” report are:
- Real-time weather, news and sports programming (both local and national) are among the content types most favored for a three-screen video service.
- About 25 percent of U.S. adult broadband users (roughly 35 million) are to varying degrees likely to sign up for a three-screen video service at some price between $65 and $105 per month.
- More than half of three-screen intenders are between the ages of 25 and 44, though intenders between the ages of 18 and 24 are significantly more enthusiastic.
- The three-screen concept is not as far ahead of the mainstream temperament as many think. A sizable portion of early mainstream consumers are poised to embrace a three-screen video offering, not just early adopters.
- Three-screen intenders are 21 percent more likely than non-intenders to use a game console, twice as likely to use an iPhone and twice as likely to have a television connected to their home network.
- Ninety-two percent of intenders view online video on a weekly basis, compared with 78 percent of non-intenders.
- Cable operators are preferred as a three-screen provider almost two-to-one over satellite TV providers.
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