Networked video game consoles are the most used devices for bringing web video to the TV in the US – and look set to remain so until 2013, according to an In-Stat report.
It found that 29 per cent of US 25 to 34 year olds with game consoles already use the devices to watch streaming video off the Internet.
That’s going to keep growing and by 2013, over 10.7 million consoles will be used as Web-to-TV mediation devices in the US.
The range of connected consumer electronics devices delivering web video into the living room is also growing.
Device types include digital media adapters (DMAs), pay TV set top boxes, Blu-ray player/recorders, HDTVs and media-center PCs.
Keith Nissen, In-Stat analyst, said that while still at the early adoption stages, the impact of bringing web video to the TV will bring both opportunity and threats to a range of companies in the electronics and TV markets.
He said that by 2013, the revenue from Web-to-TV streaming services will grow to US $2.9 billion.
"Currently Web video is largely additive to traditional TV revenue streams," he said.
"However, ultimately web video to the TV will force a complete restructuring of today’s video distribution ecosystem."
Other findings of the In-Stat research include:
- Two separate in-home content delivery networks (CDNs) are evolving in the digital home—one for broadcast media services (e.g., cable TV), the other for Internet-based broadband services
- Within five years, the number of US broadband households viewing Web-to-TV content will grow to 24 million
- Video content will be optimized for broadcast or Web-to-TV based on content type
