This post is the third in a series examining Mary Meeker’s annual Internet trends report.
Consumers who want to enjoy live-action entertainment no longer need to turn on their television sets or go to the movies— a wealth of high-tech options are now available, and people now have the privilege of choosing their preferred medium.
Mary Meeker, a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers and leading expert on Internet trends, recently explored the trend away from conventional television in her annual report on the state of the internet. Below, we summarize a few ideas from the report that are worth watching moving forward.
A proliferation of screens
Televisions are no longer the only screens that viewers are paying attention to when they’re watching live-action content. Mobile devices — both tablets and smartphones — sold more than 1.2 billion units worldwide in 2013, nearly five times the sales volume of TVs, and people’s viewership habits have dramatically changed as well. Instead of focusing only on a television program, viewers often often “multi-screen,” performing such tasks as web-surfing, shopping and texting on their mobile devices while watching TV.
The death of the remote control
People used to be tied to their remote controls whenever they wanted to watch anything. The devices controlled everything from their cable channels to their DVD and VCRs. Now, the entire concept of the remote is being re-envisioned, as people have entirely new strategies for watching TV. For example, many people choose to use so-called smart TVs to access online content from streaming sites like Netflix, Hulu and YouTube, and control it with their mobile device instead of a traditional remote.
Apps replacing TV channels
Networks that feature traditional programming are still going strong — ESPN, HBO and the BBC, for instance, are all mainstays in the modern market. But viewers are no longer compelled to view these channels on their TVs, though, because mobile outlets are taking shape. KPCB found that 52 percent of ESPN viewers are accessing content solely on their smartphones and tablets, and other networks are seeing similar trends in that direction.
Internet TV replacing linear TV
Along those same lines, people are increasingly discovering that they’re no longer reliant on traditional TV channels for content. Independently produced YouTube channels, for instance, have a strong presence among people looking for content about a specific subject, such as music, gaming and news. Streaming services like Netflix and Hulu, once known only as access portals to content produced by others, increasingly are developing their own original, award-winning programming.