NAB 2016: Access to TV Everywhere, OTT Crucial for TV Consumers, Horowitz Says

Complete Coverage: NAB Show 2016

Las Vegas — In a new report delivered at the NAB Show, Howard Horowitz, president of Horowitz Research, shared that core streamers — those who spend at least 20% of their viewing time streaming content and represent 47% of the TV viewing market — want access to broadcast networks whenever and wherever they can get it.

All four major networks (Fox, ABC, CBS and NBC) were named “essential” by at least 44% of streamers, while 67% named at least one as crucial for their streaming wants. Three out of four streamers who have a multichannel subscription said they would be interested in replacing it with an internet-delivered, skinny bundle of only the networks they wanted.

Related: TV Everywhere Isn’t Going Anywhere, Panelists Say

The number of TV viewers streaming their TV content has risen from 15% at the end of 2009 to 57% as of January.

“Broadcast is alive, well, and continues to deliver value in today’s fragmented ecosystem,” Horowitz said. “There is no denying that we are in an age of disruption. What we see, though, are two trends happening in parallel. Viewers’ love of television is growing and, simultaneously, streaming is becoming increasingly commonplace. People are not moving to streaming for the sake of wanting to stream. They are moving to streaming because they want more access to the great content they love, and this is a key opportunity area.

“The future is bright for streaming services that can combine the advantages of video access anywhere, the content available on linear TV channels — particularly broadcast networks — and the library of content and user experience of current online subscription streaming services, whether delivered by traditional multichannel players or the new OTT players that are coming to market.”

Related: Google's DoubleClick Dynamic Ad Tool Launches on Cablevision, Roku