According to GfK, 28% of all TV viewing is now streaming, and 41% of TV viewers are "Digital Enthusiasts," who subscribe to at least three digital TV services online, as well as maintain a traditional pay TV subscription (cable/satellite/telco).
The research house says accessing subscription or free online platforms via a computer or mobile device accounts for 16% of time spent with TV content; online streaming through a traditional TV set makes up another 9%; and 3% comes from other methods for accessing content, such as portable game consoles.
In addition to "Digital Enthusiasts," GfK identifies other new and emerging viewer groups, including "TV 2.0" who combine traditional and streaming TV content, mostly through their TV sets, and "On-the-Go Getters" who watch their TV programming only on mobile devices.
Digital Enthusiasts are more likely than other groups to use TV network apps for TV viewing; 44% currently use network apps that do not require a cable subscription, and 35% use network apps that do require a cable subscription. Overall, Digital Enthusiasts spend $10.80 per month on apps; 57% are also frequent ("all the time/often") binge viewers, and they note that the Internet is their "most trusted media source."
The research house also says 30% of TV viewers report watching a program on a smartphone in the past 30 days, and 29% say they have used a tablet to watch TV content in the same time frame. Overall, smartphones and tablets account for 8% of all TV time, and the average number of apps used to view TV programs in the past 30 days is about seven for mobile devices.