Forbes: Good News, Google And Apple TV: Studies Find Internet-TV Trends 'Irreversible'

Originally published on Forbes.com

Yesterday, Google announced that its next iteration of Google TV will land in the UK later this year. The search giant is getting ready for what could be an epic market-share battle with Apple, which again hinted at plans for a Smart TV push — as well as Microsoft, which continues to add TV features to its XBox console — and a whole host of start-ups seeking the Internet-based television viewing audience.

Here’s good news for them all: According to two studies released today, that audience is ready. But it also comes with two warnings:

1) Don’t assume that delivery to just one device is going to satisfy those would-be customers;

2) That audience is increasingly price-conscious.

Ooyala, a California-based online video management firm, reported rapid growth last quarter in all realms of Internet-delivered television watching. (Link is an Infographic.)

“While people are still watching much more traditional TV than streaming video, our data shows we’re on a clear and irreversible course toward an IP-delivered future,” said Bismarck Lepe, co-founder and president of products for Ooyala.

A large study released today by Boston-based research firm Chadwick Martin Bailey only confirms that notion.  ”OTT: The New Age of Television” surveyed nearly 1,500 U.S. consumers to measure their video viewing habits. They found a wide-ranging consumer base wants more of their television OTT (over-the-top), meaning anytime, anywhere on multiple devices.

“A profound shift has taken place in the balance between producer and consumer,” the report states, “from the former dictating how content will be packaged and delivered, to the latter insisting on entertainment where, when, and how they want it.”

Jon Giegengack, the report’s author, says some of the results even surprised researchers. In this email interview, Giegengack discusses what customers are doing that might scare cable/satellite companies the most, what they want most from Internet-based television and why they choose solutions over platforms.

Read the full article here: Good News, Google And Apple TV: Studies Find Internet-TV Trends 'Irreversible'