More "Cord-Cutting" (Bumped with further update)

"Cord-cutting" seems to be the preferred buzzword describing the shifting of TV viewing from traditional media (broadcast, cable, DBS) to accessing programming online (IPTV).  New results from a continuing tracking study by Knowledge Networks show some interesting trends.

• 35% of Americans 13-54 report watching streamed programming from a TV network
• 5% report reducing or eliminating regular TV service in last year (17% of those who streamed network programming) - up from 3% (9%) in 2009.

In addition, Horowitz Associates released some related research on urban audiences.  Among results:

• 31% of urban viewers watch TV content on alternative devices (laptops, etc.)
• Of those, they report an average of 15% of viewing time on alternative platforms
• There are ethnic differences: 41% of Asians watch on alternative devices weekly, as do 37% of Latinos and 36% of Blacks, while only 25% of Whites report watching video on alternative devices at least weekly.
• 46% of US TV viewers report owning at least one video-enabled mobile device.

A recent release by Nielsen also reported a considerable increase in online video usage:

• A modest (3%) growth in the number of unique viewers from last year
• Significan increases over last year in terms of amount of viewing: total streams up 31.5%; streams per viewer up 27.5%;  and time spent watching online video (per viewer) up 44.5%
• Netflix leads in time per viewer (11+ hours/month), while YouTube leads in total streams (8.5 billion in January 2011) and unique viewers (112 million)

These all support the notion of a shift in traditional TV viewing habits - particularly a shift from equating video entertainment with the traditional TV set and distributors.


Source: "Study Shows TV Streaming, Cord-Cutting Increasing" MediaDailyNews
             "Non-Traditional TV Viewing Surges," MediaDailyNews 
             "Laptops Boost Online Video Viewing: More Shows, More Time," Research Brief 


Nielsen Press Release "January 2011: Online Video Usage Up 45%"