Households interested in streamed content have the option of viewing it on a computer screen of one kind or another. They can also hook a computer to a television receiver, although not many do. However, there is a third way that is growing in popularity – viewing content over a video game console.
According to a study from Strategy Analytics, 12% of US households are now streaming content onto a television screen via a game console. That result, detained in a report entitled “Multiscreen Connected TV: Assessing Device Usage and Ownership,” translates into about 15 million homes.
The method is catching on in a strong way among those aged 25 or younger. 65% of Xbox 360 users in that age group are said to watch more online content via the console rather than via any other viewing portal.
The study notes that more and more programmers are scrambling to make their content available on the game console platform. Bravo, Comcast, HBO GO and Syfy are for said to be aiming for Xbox 360.
“The upcoming Xbox TV launch for the holiday season will demonstrate an expansion of the partnership between the games consoles and the online TV and video industries,” said Strategy Analytics Senior Analyst Jia Wu. “Games consoles have already become the key media hub in U.S. households.”
The company’s Digital Media Strategies director Ed Barton added, “Device-led digital content services are proliferating in the modern entertainment ecosystem. Both manufacturers and service providers are scrambling to optimize their strategies. Competition will intensify through 2012 as rival opportunities are brought to market.”
RBR-TVBR observation: This author prefers using the game console for ancient video games like Galaxian; we also have an excellent package of vintage pinball games that are modified for our TV screen. In short, this author uses the video game set to essentially go back in time.
Our son, introduced to Galaxian, gave it about ten minutes and then said, “That’s it? All you do is kill aliens?” To that we say welcome, dear readers, to the generational divide, alive and well in this household.
Leave it then to our kids to find prime entertainment content – movies, specials, TV shows – on our game console via Netflix. So yes, this household has a video game TV content connection. And there’s great stuff there, stuff that even us adults want to watch.
Meanwhile the competition in the video space only gets hotter.
