Report: Consumers Warming to '3 Screens'

Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications, DirecTV, and other pay TV operators are in the process of building integrated multi-screen TV offerings, pushing their TV content beyond the TV set to the PC and ultimately to mobile devices. According to new research from The Diffusion Group, such offerings are likely to experience significant market demand.

TDG points to Time Warner’s TV Everywhere scheme as the most aggressive. Time Warner’s CEO, Jeff Bewkes, has characterized TV Everywhere as an expansive initiative aimed at making cable programming available with a subscription model specific to each of the three screens – TV, PC, and mobile. According to TDG’s president, Michael Greeson, such an offering represents "the trifecta of video services."

According to TDG’s latest research, the appeal of a two-screen TV/PC service would be significant: 16 percent of pay TV subscribers who spend more than $100/month for TV service would spend an additional $20/month to have their TV programming delivered to their PCs. Even among lower ARPU customers (those spending less than $50/month for pay TV service), 9 percent of consumers would spend an additional $20/month to access their TV programming on their PCs.

At lower pricing levels, demand for a two-screen TV/PC service is even more significant. More than one-fourth of those who spend more than $100/month for TV service would pay an additional $2.50/month to receive their TV programming on their PCs, as would 14 percent of those who currently spend $50/month or less on their pay TV service.