Make sure to note the numbers at the end of this post about the other things viewers do while watching streaming video.
From The Harris Poll:
Over half of Americans (53%) indicate having watched digitally streamed TV programming on any device, and streaming is well on its way to becoming a dominant means of viewership among 18-35 year olds, nearly tying top-ranked live feed TV (as it airs) as the way or among the ways they most often watch TV programming (44% live feed TV, 41% streaming).
These are some of the results of The Harris Poll of 2,343 adults surveyed online between October 10 and 15, 2012 by Harris Interactive.
Despite U.S. adults – particularly those 35 and under – clearly seeing streaming as a viable viewing option, our TV screens are far from endangered: when asked to select the way or ways in which they most often watch television programs, roughly nine in ten Americans (89%) point to their TV sets, sans streaming.
Though they are watching television programming on a TV screen, whether over the air or through cable or satellite providers, American are far from unanimous on how they do so: while over half (56%) identify a live feed as the way, or one of the ways, they most often watch TV programs, roughly three in ten each specify watching recorded (32%) or cable- or satellite-provided on-demand (29%) programming.
As for streaming – while it may not be overtaking traditional TV viewership methods today, it is by no means an afterthought: a combined three in ten Americans (30%) have the ability to watch streamed programming on their TV sets (19% via set top boxes or game systems, 17% via Internet-compatible TV sets), and two in ten (20%) list streaming – on any device – as among the ways they most often watch TV programs.
Additionally, there is cause to expect growth in the streaming of TV content: two in ten Americans indicate that they are watching more online/streaming TV content now than a year ago (20%) and that that they expect to be watching more a year from now (19%). And among those not watching more when compared to a year ago, roughly six in ten (59%) indicate that there are factors which could encourage them to watch more online/streaming TV programming; top factors include improved free streaming options (31%), access to programming they currently cannot (or don’t think they can) get via streaming (20%), not having to watch on a computer screen (19%), access to a sufficiently fast connection (17%) and ease of access (17%).
Americans living in households with children appear to be an especially strong market for TV streaming. Those with children in their households are more likely than those without to:
- own many of the streaming compatible devices asked about:have ever watched streamed TV programs (60% with vs. 49% without);
- Smartphone (62% among those with children in their households vs. 40% among those without),
- TV with Internet access (either natively or via a box or game system; 38% with vs. 27% without),
- Tablet (31% with vs. 21% without);
- report watching more (24% with vs. 18% without) or the same amount (44% with vs. 36% without) of online or streaming TV content than a year ago; and,
- anticipate watching more (27% with vs. 15% without) online/streaming TV content a year from now.
Regardless of how Americans watch TV programs, few are only watching: roughly eight in ten (81%) report doing other things while watching TV. More specifically, nearly two-thirds (65%) engage in online activities; over one-third (37%) read a book, magazine or newspaper, with an additional 11% reading a book on an electronic reading device; roughly one-third (35%) text and one-fourth (25%) do other things.
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