Streaming Video Is One Of The Most Popular Activities On Game Consoles
Half of U.S. households already own at least one video game console, and roughly one-third of these households use the devices to stream TV and movies to their television. That translates to about 19 million U.S. households using video game consoles as a TV streaming device, according to a recent report from BI Intelligence.
- The proportion was even higher among those aged 14 to 24 (39%), and 25 to 30 (38%). But the behavior was also common among those aged 31 to 47 (32% used their consoles for streaming TV shows and movies), and those between 48 and 66 years old (21%).
- 26% of total U.S. console owners said that streaming other types of shorter online video content, such as YouTube clips, is one of their top three game console activities.
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Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:
- Video game consoles are the most common devices capable of streaming internet video to televisions, according to our new analysis of the installed base in the connected TV market. Streaming-capable video game consoles account for 54% of the global installed base of TV streaming devices worldwide. Internet-connected smart TVs (with a 38% share), and dedicated streaming devices (like Apple TV and Roku, with an 8% share) are still in the minority.
- The use of game consoles as streaming TV devices isn’t restricted to the very young. A Deloitte survey showed that video game console owners in their teens and twenties were the most likely to list streaming video to TV as one of their top activities, but the activity was surprisingly popular among older demographics, too.
- Video game consoles come with far more computational horsepower than typical streaming devices and smart TVs, which allows developers to create immersive and unique connected TV experiences. For example, viewers can click through baseball stats as they stream a baseball game on the Major League Baseball app, or they can use Twitch to play video games side-by-side with footage of other players navigating the same game.
In full, the report:
- Looks at how many households own gaming consoles and what percentage of them use the device for TV streaming.
- Breaks down total sales of the most popular gaming consoles.
- Forecasts 2014 sales of gaming consoles and the most popular dedicated streaming devices.
- Examines the demographics of streaming TV to console devices.
- Explores what advantages gaming consoles offer for immersive streaming experiences as compared to smart TVs and devices like the Apple TV.
BI Intelligence is a subscription-based tech research service. Sign up now to receive full access to all our analysis, reporting, and downloadable charts on the digital media industry.
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