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Uses of Streaming and Digital Media: Results and Analysis of a Benchmark Research Study
StreamingMedia.com, Jan 2004, Pages: 60
Streaming and Digital Media Are Ready for Prime Time
We have followed the technologies and services that make up the streaming and digital media marketplace for the last four years. In our analysis, the market has gone from hype (1999) to hurt (2001) to helpful (2003). Over this period, some companies jumped in feet first, only to find the technologies and users were not mature enough to use the media effectively.
In this report, we prove that now is the time to aggressively engage — or re-engage — in using streaming and digital media in business and personal applications, for cost savings, revenue opportunities, and customer interaction. The reader has heard this claim before. However, the numbers are new. This statistically valid benchmark study points the way to streaming and digital media success and reveals the following findings:
- A mature, experienced user base now exists. Enterprises and content providers can now deploy streaming and digital media confident that internal employees and external customers have a solid experience with media in a variety of contexts.
- Firms that have deployed streaming applications in some business areas (e.g., distance learning, Webcasting) should look to other applications (e.g., product launches, executive communications) that build on those successes.
- Company executives, IT professionals, and content providers who are dabbling in media usage should move full-force toward expanding their deployments.
This report has real numbers to show that users are actively engaging the streaming and digital media applications available to them. The Executive Summary highlights the key findings from this report in relation to business applications and use, personal applications and use, and overall media usage.
Highlights of Business Application Usage
The following summarizes the top-level findings for business application usage from the survey results. Additional findings and detailed segmentation analysis can be found in Chapter Four.
- Business Applications with Media Approaching xx% Adoption in the Coming Year
Most business applications with streaming or digital media components have a solid current use, with xx% to xx% of respondents regularly using rich media in company regularly using rich media in company meetings, distance learning, external corporate announcements, and internal executive communications. Respondents also show a consistent projected adoption of business applications with streaming or digital media over the next 12 months, with total potential usage approaching xx% of users. Contrary to expectations, sales force training trails most other business applications, with a little more than xx% of respondents reporting current use and only xx% indicating potential adoption of these applications in the next 12 months.
Vendors regularly tout sales force training as the largest category, which is not the case. Rather, Webcasting and Web conferencing are the leading business applications for streaming and digital media.
Enterprises should compare their current use of these applications with the survey results and ask themselves, Am I a leader or laggard? Leaders in one application should examine other applications with similar adoption rates for opportunities to increase the leverage of their IT investments in digital media. Laggards can use this analysis
to determine where to start: High-use applications will be less expensive and more mature than the low-use applications.
- Spending on Media Apps in 2004 Is Not Strong
Despite the economic upturn, suppliers in the streaming and digital media industry should plan on another tough year. Survey respondents said that their average spending per company for the coming year will be less than $X for products and services and less than $X for outsourced broadcast services. Only x% of respondents expect to spend more than $1 million in the next 12 months.
We indicate that at least part of this low projected spending level is caused by the milestone approach to IT spending: buyers may plan for the overall investment, but they do not commit real dollars until specified milestones are reached. They purchase for one location or one application, get results from that segment, and then spend more only if the results are positive.
Highlights of Personal Application Usage
The following summarizes the top-level findings for personal application usage from the survey results. Additional findings and detailed segmentation analysis can be found in Chapter Five.
- Media and Entertainment Dominate Personal Uses
The online versions of entertainment, news, and media content, such as news sites, movie trailers, and streaming radio, have the highest uptake, with more than xx% of respondents using these applications. Traditional “for-pay” categories, such as games and sports, have the lowest uptake, with less than xx% of respondent usage. Although only xx% of respondents indicated that they belong to subscription services, more than xx% have paid for online content.
These findings indicate that the best personal use of media applications is to augment other forms of media and entertainment. Subscriptions are a viable method to gather an audience, but should not be relied upon as the primary method for distributing content.
Highlights of Overall Media Usage
The following summarizes the top-level findings for overall media usage from the survey results. Additional findings and detailed segmentation analysis can be found in Chapter Three.
- Media Use Is a Regular Occurrence Among All Users
Enterprises can expect that their users are already familiar with accessing media on their desktops. The survey shows that more than xx% of respondents use streaming or digital content at least once per day. Nearly xx% of respondents use online media at least two to three times per week, including the business user subsegment.
As a result, enterprises can be confident that the majority of their users — both employees and end-customers — are comfortable using media on their computers, in business and personal applications. This finding open wide the door for expanding the use of network-delivered media in the enterprise, without fear that transitioning from traditional broadcast,videotape, or other forms of delivery will decrease usability.
- Users Are Conditioned to Use Media for Short Spurts
Despite the familiarity, most users are not ready to spend long periods of time consuming media on the desktop. The survey shows that users access media in short spurts, with nearly xx% of the respondents spending 30 minutes or less per session. The implication for businesses is not that longer content will not be watched: The survey did not ask about preferences for this topic, only about current habits. However, to conform to current usage patterns, enterprises should cut longer media into segments that are consumable in stages.
- All Players Are Installed, But Microsoft Is Preferred
Enterprises and content providers can rest assured that users will be able to access media in almost any format. Microsoft Windows Media leads in installed media players, with nearly a xx% installed base, but only by a narrow margin: RealPlayer has an xx% installed base, and QuickTime has xx%. When it comes to which player users
prefer, though, Microsoft is the clear leader. Users reported a 2- to-1 preference for Windows Media over RealPlayer or QuickTime.
Companies should continue making player and media server choices based on the business case: which technology best fits the needs of the application and provides the highest return on investment?
Although users are comfortable with all players, to please the greatest number of users, companies should choose Microsoft technologies — as long as the business case does not preclude Windows Media because of cost, customizability, or other requirements.
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