Newsweek reports that couples are watching streaming video or iTunes "TV" while sharing "space" with their partner, who is watching "real" TV. Not so different from our house, where Mike watches TV while I share the sofa, Powebook on lap.
ABC is in the midst of scrutinizing data from a two-month-long
streaming test that ended in June. NBC just completed "Today’s Media
Consumer: Attitude, Behaviors and Trends," a survey of 1,000 digital
consumers conducted from March through April. And countless independent
researchers are hawking reams of fresh data. All are looking for clues
to crafting strategies for growth and profits in the new age of
television-to-go…
Millennials—that computer-savvy generation age 10 to roughly 30—make up most of the online vid audience…
Online video also trumps television for Salawu Akin, a 31-year-old
screenwriter in New York. "I prefer watching things on computer than
television," he tells NEWSWEEK. "I have more control over the watching.
I can pause it."…
Of course, TV execs have been concerned that downloads would "canibalize" their audience — but just like many science fiction authors and musicians have already learned, making compelling content available online can lead to more eyeballs or ears, not fewer:
For example, fans who miss an episode of a favorite show often will
catch up on an iPod, and most—eight of 10, says NBC, citing
research—will continue to watch the series on television. Others
discover shows on the iPod and then tune in the regular broadcast, the
networks say.
