Multiplatform TV: Industry Adapts to Consumer Preference

Invention of the iPad 'transformed' business

By Tim Baysinger -- Broadcasting & Cable, 5/4/2012 11:14:15 AM

New York -- For the multiscreen industry to continue its rapid development, it must be able to adapt to consumers' ever-changing preferences.

That was the takeaway from the "Building the Perfect TV App" panel during NewBay Media's "TV in a Multiplatform World" event on Thursday.

"[Consumers] realize that [they] are in control now," said Steve Davi, CTO of SeaChange. "[They] expect to get their content where or whenever they want."

Sam Blackman, CEO & cofounder of Elemental Technologies, says this booming industry can trace its heritage back to the invention of a certain Apple product. "When the iPad hit, it completely transformed the business," said Blackman. "Every programmer, every distributor recognized that people like to consume high-quality content on these devices."

Turner Sports has certainly noticed the change in consumers' viewing habits.

"Over the past two years, we've seen on the digital side, an amazing shift on where consumption is coming from," said Michael Adamson, VP, new products for Turner Sports, who also said this year's NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament was the first time in which more people watched via their mobile device than a computer.

"There's no sort of ‘one answer fits all customers,'" added Charlie Herrin, senior VP, product design & development, Comcast. "You're going to end up with a hybrid of solutions out there."

Gerard Kunkel, media strategy advisor for Microsoft, argues that in this day and age, it's become a necessity for consumers to have that multiplatform experience.

"They're expecting you to deliver content across multiple devices," said Gerard Kunkel, media strategy advisor, Microsoft. "When you get down to it, the user experience is so important."