MUMBAI: A new report from Knowledge Networks shows "over the top" (OTT) video viewing in the US has grown dramatically in just a year – both streamed and downloaded, on stationary as well as mobile platforms.

Smartphones, videogame consoles, and video rental services are the main drivers of this trend, with Generations X and Y and Baby Boomers all increasing their OTT viewing.

The number of platforms that account for significant video viewing is approaching a dozen. In the 13-to-54 age group, monthly use of an alternative method for viewing TV programmes or movies grew by over one-third in a year, from 26 per cent in 2010 to 35 per cent this year. This includes content streamed or downloaded to view on a TV, computer, laptop, smartphone, iPod Touch, or tablet.

Monthly use of any digital service connected to a TV rose almost 50 per cent during the year -- from 13 per cent to 19 per cent -- within the 13-to-54 population. The study also found that a number of key metrics have doubled since 2010 for this age group:

The report demonstrates the strong generational differences in OTT viewing; compared to Baby Boomers (ages 46 to 54), Gen Y (ages 13 to 31) is almost four times as likely to report weekly mobile video viewing (30 per cent versus eight per cent), and they are twice as likely to watch streaming video weekly (56 per cent for Gen Y, 28 per cent for Boomers).

Knowledge Networks VP, Group Account Director David Tice said, "The number of platforms that account for significant video viewing is approaching a dozen. This poses a variety of challenges – in measurement, accountability, planning, and targeting. But every challenge contains an opportunity to find new efficiencies in reaching key audiences, adding relevance to ads. Video is increasingly un-tethered, but the core elements of the video experience, and the rich context it provides, remain remarkably intact."