Eighty-two percent of European broadcast organizations have plans to offer HD video content to online audiences in the next 12 months, according to trend research conducted with attendees of IBC2008.
The survey, conducted by Akamai Technologies, primarily involves European TV stations, TV networks and video and film production professionals. It reveals that nearly 50 percent of those questioned said they believed that consumer demand for higher-quality video, in addition to the ability to attract new audiences with differentiated video experiences, were the primary drivers for offering HD content online.
Close to one-fifth of those surveyed are already offering HD experiences online, and the market in Europe is expected to expand during the coming year. When asked about their time frames for providing online HD video, 64.5 percent of broadcast organizations responded that they were either offering HD programming to online audiences already or planned to do so in the next 12 months. Nineteen percent plan to do so in the next six months.
Video quality standards are also increasing the bit rates by which content is being delivered. Close to 60 percent of the European broadcasters questioned stated that they planned to deliver their online HD content in bit rates of more than 4Mb/s, and about 20 percent said that they were aiming for bit rates of more than 8Mb/s.
Short-form content is still leading the pack in terms of consumer interest, with 63 percent of respondents saying they would continue to offer this to their viewers. However, close to 50 percent also indicated that they would be offering longer-form content, such as movies and full-length TV episodes.
While the PC is still the No. 1 device to which broadcasters plan to deliver HD video content, the survey supports a trend toward consumption in the living room with 86 percent of respondents saying that they plan to target connected devices:
- 38 percent of respondents targeting the television
- 34 percent targeting the set-top box
- 9.4 percent targeting connected DVD players
- 4.7 percent targeting connected game consoles
For more information, visit www.thehdweb.com.
