Streaming Still Trumps The DVR In Primetime: Study

Consumers still dedicate most of their tube time to live TV viewing during primetime hours, but the time spent streaming continues to outpace viewing of DVR recordings, Crackle and Frank N. Magid Associates found in their second-annual  study on the “New Living Room.”

About 67% of respondents said they watch live TV during primetime – the same as last year – while streaming inched up to 45% (up 2% year-over-year) and the DVR dipped 7%, to 31%, versus last year's study.

The online study, conducted in July, surveyed 1,200 adults between the ages of 18 and 49.

In another finding that suits the content distribution model for Crackle, a unit of Sony Pictures Television, the study showed that 57% of respondents preferred ad-supported, free streaming on a connected TV, versus 36% for subscription streaming (monthly fee with no commercials), and 7% for VOD (fee paid for each TV show or movie, with no commercials).

The study also showed that 61% reported streaming on a weekly basis (up from 44% last year), with that number rising to 72% among Millennials (age 18-34), up from 52% in the 2013 study.

Connected TVs led all platforms for in-home streaming (62%), versus laptops and PCs (48%), tablets (28%) and smartphones (23%).