A little network intelligence goes a long way
As kids, we rushed home to catch our favorite TV programs. If we missed an episode, friends gave us the details. Today, there are many ways to catch up: DVRs, the Web, mobile phones…the list goes on.
Traditional TV remains strong, according to Nielsen research. Last month's Super Bowl was the most watched TV program in U.S. history.
But online video usage is showing huge growth. Comscore reports that 86.5% of total U.S. Internet users watched online video in December 2009, averaging 187 videos per user. Internet connections are steadily moving into the living room, with videogame consoles, Slingboxes and newer connected TVs. For all practical purposes, online video will soon become ubiquitous because of the always connected nature of the mobile Internet.
Naturally, always connected users are taking their habits on the go. Nielsen states that teens watch an average of seven hours of video per month, and adults are catching up at an average of three hours per month. Another study by the Open Mobile Video Coalition (OMVC) shows that 90% of mobile device users are interested in live news and weather TV programming on their phones.
Though online video viewing tends to be a solitary activity, overall TV viewing is becoming increasingly social. With the help of Skype, Twitter and other social tools, consumers hundreds of miles apart can connect in real-time. Another Nielsen study shows that one in every three TV viewers do so while surfing the net on a computer.
Consumers now have three screens to juggle: the living room, the computer and the smartphone. None seem to be going away any time soon. Plus, they want to stay connected to their social networks at the same time.
This is a great opportunity for service providers to shine. Wouldn't it be nice to coordinate your three screens from your mobile phone? What about personalized recommendations? Location-based updates? Soon, I may be able to take the show I was watching on my TV with me through my mobile phone. Or, vice versa, sling the music video I was watching on my mobile phone to my TV, throw myself on the couch and enjoy the remaining video in my living room.
To do this, service providers simply need to weave all the pieces of the user personalization puzzle together. They may already have many of these pieces in their networks today.
These scenarios can be real if experiences are personalized according to the user's interests, location and services. This would result in a rich, immersive and seamless user experience.
In short, all of this can be made possible by adding intelligence to mobile networks. In recent research, two-thirds of survey respondents said they would use services tailored to personal preferences, location, time of day and social setting.
However, this same research shows that users more readily identify with third-party brands such as Google than their mobile service providers. It's important for service providers to reassert their place in the value chain—before someone else takes their place.
For service providers, a little network intelligence can go a long way.
