Digital video leaps from tablet to TV

Digital video is making a leap from the tablet to the television. A growing number of US homes are utilizing streaming devices, such as the Apple TV box, Google’s Chromecast and Roku, or Internet connected televisions to watch online video, according to media consultancy and research group Frank N Magid Associates.

People with connected TVs are watching nearly 12 hours of video programming each week via the Internet, according to research from video advertising company Tremor Video, and Nielsen, the media measurement company. Of that, people spend about seven hours per week watching film or TV show-length programming and about five hours watching short videos, such as five-minute clips. That compares to about 33 hours per week people spend watching traditional television.

The uptick in digital video viewing on television sets comes as more people in the US cancel their pay-television subscriptions in favor of cheaper online streaming alternatives.