Massive growth shows the bright future of online TV

In the land of the free and home to Hollywood, having the largest consumer market in the world, free cable and satellite TV over the internet has doubled within 2 years. Almost 20% of all american homes are watching online-broadcasts.

In the survey, the US Conference Board and TNS asked 10000 american homes. The most popular streaming site visited is youtube.

The big advantage of free cable and satellite tv over the internet is that its not time dependent. The viewer can choose when he wants to watch his favourite show. Over 70% of the people watch on a daily basis their shows online.

“Most consumers are pressed for time and require flexibility in their daily schedules and TV viewing habits,” said Lynn Franco, Director of The Conference Board Consumer Research Center. “Being able to watch broadcasts on their own time and at their convenience are clearly reasons why we are seeing a greater number turning to the Internet. And, it is the reason why we would expect to see this trend continue.”

The most popular shows are from the news, drama, comedy and reality genre. Sports are also pretty big online. Closely behind this top-shows, user created videos on youtube follow. Then comes the usual stuff: trailers, previews, goodies from hit shows and the like.

Viewing habits include nine out of 10 watching free cable tv over the internet. About 15 percent say they watch in the office, and 6 percent watch TV online from other locations, including the library or a friend’s home.

“The shift from appointment TV to content on demand is well underway,” said Michael Saxon, Senior Vice President of TNS Brand and Communications. “Fundamentally, consumers expect content to be available when they want it, and on the screen of their choice TV,PC, or mobile. For consumers, PCs enhance content on demand from simply time-shifting to place-shifting. Online content can be viewed in any room in the house, or at work or school.”