Nearly 20 percent of American households are tuning into TV over the Internet. That’s twice the number from 2006, according to new research from The Conference Board Consumer Research Center and market-research firm TNS. The most popular destinations for online broadcasts? The official TV channel home page and YouTube.com.
The growing movement toward watching TV online is attributable, in part, to schedule-bucking viewers who want to watch the shows they want to watch when they want to watch them. Other reasons for the rise in online TV viewing include portability and the ability to skip commercials.
“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.”
Content on Demand Is King
News, drama, sitcom/comedy, reality shows and sports are the top five types of shows viewed online. User-generated content followed close behind.
Specifically, 43 percent of online TV viewers tune into the news, 39 percent watch drama shows, 34 percent view sitcom/comedy shows, 23 percent watch reality shows, 16 percent view sports, and 15 percent view user-generated content. Previews, additional content from favorite shows, soap operas and advertisements are also gaining the attention of online TV viewers.
Despite citing portability as a reason for watching TV online, almost 90 percent of viewers said they watch online broadcasts at home. About 15 percent said they watch Internet broadcasts in the office, and six percent watch from other locations, including the library or a friend’s house.
“The shift from appointment TV to content on demand is well under…