Streaming Media
News producers — especially broadcasters — should pay attention to a couple of recent studies that highlight the importance of video on the iPad.
More and more consumers are “time- and device-shifting” their video consumption; 13 percent of adults online do not watch live television. And a survey released by Nielsen last week hints at the importance of getting video right on new platforms like the iPad. IPad owners use their devices to watch TV shows and movies more than iPhone owners.
So it’s worth taking a look at four successful iPad video apps. They span a wide range — from one built by a teenager to support a favorite blog, to the ABC Player app (which launched with the iPad and was impressive from day one).
What makes them successful? User experience seems to be the common strength:
- The Netflix app lets the user move seamlessly from one platform to another, even picking up programs where they were paused on another device.
- The ABC Player began with a team asking, “What will the viewer want?”
- This Week in Tech’s (TWIT) app began with a user who was unhappy with the official app and decided to build one himself.
- For mSpot, it was finding the optimal mix of quality and stream size.
