Adele sketch sets BBC YouTube record

A sketch from BBC One’s Adele at the BBC special has been viewed more than 37 million times in just two weeks, making it the most-watched video ever on the BBC YouTube channel. The comedy sketch – ‘When Adele wasn’t Adele… but was Jenny! – has broken the previous record of 36.9 million views. It became an instant global hit on the BBC YouTube channel after being featured in the programme, a one-off special broadcast on November 20th on BBC One. The television show has now been watched by 5.8 million people and an extended version featuring previously unseen footage will be shown on BBC One on January 1st. The previous Number 1 clip features Will Smith on The Graham Norton Show performing a song medley, including the theme to 90s sitcom Fresh Prince of Bel Air, with his son Jaden Smith, Alfonso Ribero, who played Carlton in the series, and DJ Jazzy Jeff. It has been on the BBC YouTube Channel for over two years and has now been knocked down to second place. Bob Shennan, Director of BBC Music, says: “I’m delighted to see such a phenomenal response to the show in the UK, and to see the magical sketch gain a huge global audience who are enjoying and sharing the BBC’s content.”Source: Article, Image: Flickr.com

Read More........ → December 05, 2015

Majority of US consumers want single TV app

Nearly 9 out of 10 US pay-TV subscribers (86 per cent) want a single app for all of their video watching, according to data from Altman Vilandrie & Company’s sixth annual survey on consumer video habits. The survey also revealed that 70 per cent of consumers have not downloaded any network or cable channel apps, even as viewers continue to be inundated with more streaming video options. “Consumers are saying that greater choice does not always lead to a better experience,” said Altman Vilandrie & Company Director Jonathan Hurd, who oversaw the survey and released the new data at today’s Streaming Media West conference. “Managing multiple apps across multiple viewing platforms can be challenging and appears to be limiting the market penetration of nearly all TV apps.” Hurd noted that this flooded marketplace opens up further opportunities for cable and satellite TV providers to increase the adoption of TV Everywhere, which allows subscribers to access, typically for free, content online through a single app. However, Hurd noted that a lack of consumer awareness has severely limited TV Everywhere’s adoption. The survey showed that ESPN is by far the most popular network app for downloading, with downloads by 27 per cent of those who have downloaded at least one app, or 8 per cent of consumers overall. Next most popular among those who download apps are the four major networks: CBS (18 per cent), NBC (18 per cent), ABC (16 per cent) and Fox (8 per cent). ESPN’s relative dominance stems from younger app downloaders (18-34), who downloaded its app at a 34 per cent rate. The next most popular app for younger app downloaders was Comedy Central’s with 13 per cent, although only 5 per cent of all app downloaders, and less than 2 per cent of consumers overall, have downloaded the cable channel’s app. Despite ESPN’s relative strength in app downloads, live sports continues to be a small focus of what consumers view online. Only 16 per cent of active online video users view live sports weekly online, compared with much higher levels for movies (38 per cent) and TV shows (51 per cent). Twenty-two per cent watch news weekly online.

Other findings of the survey include:

• • The percentage of consumers watching TV shows and movies online continues to grow, with 60 per cent of those 55 and older now watching weekly, up from 48 per cent in 2014. Young millennials (18-24) still outpace other age groups, with 89 per cent now watching TV shows and movies online weekly.
• • More than half of all adults under age 25 binge watch TV shows on Netflix at least weekly. In general, younger adults are the most likely to binge-watch TV shows, defined as watching three or more episodes in a single sitting, on any service. Only 7 per cent of those 55 and older binge watch TV shows on Netflix weekly.
• • While most Netflix users said they used an account owned by them or someone in their household, some sharing of accounts between multiple households exists. Young millennials used the highest percentage (25 per cent) of accounts owned by someone outside their household (friend or family), suggesting that many of these young people are accessing their parents’ accounts during college or in early adulthood. The second highest level of account borrowing came from consumers 55 and older, which points to a generational reversal with older parents poaching Netflix services from their adult children. Source: Article, Image: flickr.com

Read More........ → November 19, 2015

Where next for Netflix?

As Netflix continues on its quest for global coverage, Futuresource Consulting has identified five key developing markets which present significant opportunity for Netflix and the wider digital video landscape. The firm notes that Netflix has enjoyed enormous success in developed nations and is now looking to emerging markets for continued growth. The advent of digital video is fuelled by growth of broadband infrastructure and connected devices, combined with limited penetration of digital TV services. Such a scenario provides Netflix (or other digital video service) with great potential to establish a robust footprint. Futuresource’s entertainment analysts take an in-depth look at some of these growth opportunities.

• India: “The Indian digital video market is rapidly emerging,” comments Joanna Wright, Senior Market Analyst at Futuresource. “As of 2014, it accounted for just 15 per cent of home video spend, held back by lacking infrastructure and digital payment methods. Moving forward, compounded annual growths of 70 per cent until 2019 will see digital video escalating in importance.” Wright predicts that by the end of 2016 will see the launch of Netflix or Amazon; cashing in on the enormous opportunity from the 1.3 billion population. Poor broadband infrastructure is a current barrier to growth. However, with smartphone ownership rapidly approaching ubiquity in India and with an impending pan-India 4G launch from Reliance Jio, mobile is to drive digital video spend as well as solve the digital payment problem.
• Russia: Futuresource Research Analyst, Tristan Veale explains that, “Despite the comprehensive barriers to digital video growth including endemic piracy and a depressed economy, the Russian digital video sector is rapidly expanding. Retail spend to grow by 37 per cent in 2015 and is expected to more than triple by 2019.” Russia remains resistant to paid for access models with AVoD preferred to SVoD, as such an established and innovative EST sector in 2014 accounted for 39 per cent of spend on digital video. The affluent Russian cities are well serviced by ISP’s while the rural population have little to no access. As such, despite apparent low country wide penetration and average speed, it serves the target market well enough that IP access isn’t a barrier for growth. Once the economy is back on track, spend on OTT will once again accelerate.
• Poland: “Digital video spend is forecast to outstrip packaged media spend for the first time this year in Poland representing 58 per cent of total home video expenditure with revenues of PLN 170 million ($ 53 million),” says Michael Boreham, Senior Market Analyst at Futuresource. Moving forward the expected entry of Netflix during 2016 is anticipated to provide a boost to the SVoD segment with spend rising to $84 million by 2019. Pay-TV VoD currently dominates the digital segment, it represented close to 60 per cent of total spend during 2014. Moving forward it is the online video platforms rather than Pay-TV that will drive the digital video market forward.
• Turkey: “The Turkish digital video market remains in its embryonic stages, with Pay-TV VoD and SVoD the only two components of any real significance, SVoD particularly so with an 85 per cent share of consumer spend. A strong piracy and file-sharing culture has particularly restricted interest in the transactional digital market,” says David Sidebottom, Principle Analyst at Futuresource. Turkey’s large population, which has a comparatively high youth component (17 per cent of the total population are 18 to 24 years old), growing broadband penetration (42 per cent as of end 2014) and a growing appetite for all types of video content will provide a stimulus for digital video growth across all sectors; although it will be SVoD which is projected to dominate the market in the long term.
• China: Despite the increased government control, China’s online video market continues to develop rapidly, with an increasing focus on creating and delivering premium, full length content, particularly from the leading players. Subscription services remain in their early stages of uptake, with most customers reluctant to pay for TV due to the wide availability of free content (either through ad-funded services or via file-sharing/pirated means). Wright comments, “There is huge investment in infrastructure which is helping to drive and support online video uptake including significant broadband growth and continued adoption of 4G services, with fixed broadband subscribers expected to reach 230 million in 2015. While of late there has been a slowdown of the Chinese economy, this isn’t expected to be a long term impediment to the meteoric growth of OTT video.”
• Mexico: “The Mexican market exemplifies how developing nations can drive service growth. Mexico is embracing the digital revolution,” says Boreham. Netflix has driven SVoD since launching in 2011 when only 40 per cent of households had broadband access and they’re now capitalising on the move, by the end of 2015 they will have 2.5 million subscriptions the fourth largest international market after the UK, Canada and Brazil. Looking ahead, increased availability and speed of broadband connections will help fuel the growth of SVoD which already accounts for 80 per cent of digital retail spend. By 2019, the total number of subscribers is forecast to increase to over 8 million, equivalent to 39 per cent of broadband households. Source: Article, Image: flickr.com

Read More........ → October 02, 2015