Video On Demand Increasing in Popularity Around the World

Video on demand (VOD) has seen a surge in popularity around the world, especially in the US.

This can come from a variety of sources, all of which stream through the internet. The digital video recorder (DVR) has become a prominent part of the US living room and has helped change the way consumers watch their video content.

People now choose what to watch and when, and they are no longer at the mercy of TV broadcasters and their schedules.

DVR is now in 50 per cent of US homes but it is not the only way consumers can watch on their own terms. Individuals without the additional hardware are just as able to enjoy the experience of watching content at their leisure thanks to expanding video on demand accessibility.

According to new research from Nielsen, set-top box VOD is found in about 60 per cent of households in the US, which is a giant leap on the 37 per cent in 2008.

The firm’s Q2 2013 Cross-Platform Report stated that while the technology has been available for over a decade, it was not always in demand as consumers initially found the interface difficult to navigate and use. Because of this program distributors were wary of delivering content when the audience couldn’t be measured, meaning they were outside of their window of monetisation.

This meant consumer VOD options were often limited to old shows or past seasons of shows and movies, though this is now changing and broadcasters are now adopting the platform at an incredible rate.

Over the past year networks in the US have boosted their efforts to make more up-to-date content available, including recently aired and multiple episodes from the current season. VOD access has grown to become much more user friendly than it has been in the past.

Broadcasters making the move to eCommerce need an effective online payment solution in place in order to monetise their content. Making a profit on this content is not easy, but with the right provider in place things can be made much simpler and progress can be measured.