We've just completed the latest analysis of our ConsumerMetrix survey from the end of last year, focusing on multiscreen TV. The first results were published today for the US and similar studies will be released over the next couple of weeks covering the key European markets.

The major finding from the US segment is that the TV screen is now most likely to be used for watching internet-delivered TV shows and movies, ahead of portable computers, desktop computers, smartphones and tablets. If we combine computers as one device category, they are still out in front, but I think it’s fair to argue that the desktop screen is a different category of usability from the portable PC, which after all is often classified by observers as “mobile”.

When we look at the trends in multiscreen usage over the past year or so we see that the divergence really began in early 2012. At that time the three major screens were similarly placed, but during 2012 it appears that the TV screen gained ground while the desktop PC in particular lost favour.

Overall we find that more than half of Americans are now watching TV and movie content delivered via an internet service at least monthly. Usage is weighted, not surprisingly, towards younger age groups, with more than three quarters of under 25s now qualifying as internet TV users. But it’s also catching on with older demographics: more than a quarter of 65 and overs are now going to the internet for TV and movies.

Apart from PCs and TVs, tablets and smartphones have also become an important part of the internet TV mix. Neither of these screens is yet as important as the PC or TV but their usage has grown significantly over the past year or so. Both are now used by around 28% of internet TV users.

We also examine how internet TV users are connecting their TV screens. The most popular approach is to connect a PC using an HDMI cable, but close behind comes the games console, which is used by 28% of internet TV users. Those two methods are some way ahead of alternatives like connected blu-ray disc players, connected TV players (eg Apple TV, Roku) and smart TVs.

When we look at the specific products internet TV users are using, the Xbox 360 takes the lead although it’s closely followed by the PS3. The leading smart TV for internet TV use is Samsung, and a similar number of people use Apple TV.

It’s a fragmented market, as we would expect in the early days of television’s latest evolution. Strategy Analytics will continue to track the adoption and usage of these emerging platforms in future survey waves and assessing how the multiscreen environment is shaping the future of television viewing.

Note: The ConsumerMetrix survey was fielded in October 2012 and consisted of n=2285 individuals in the US and n=4268 individuals in Europe.

David Mercer

Our latest ConsumerMetrix Bulletin examines the status of cloud media and “digital locker” services in the US. These have become a popular way to enable multiscreen media access since consumers no longer have to worry about where their music, video or games are stored. Examples include Apple’s iTunes Match/iCloud, Dropbox, Amazon Cloud Player and Google Music. The survey also asked about less prominent services such as Ultraviolet (the Blu-ray Disc-based service), Samsung Music Hub, LG Cloud, OnLive and Gaikai.

Our survey of more than 2000 US respondents found that 45% of people have used at least one of these services at some point. In total 27% of people have used cloud media services during the past month, and 15% at least during the past week. Younger demographics not surprisingly are the lead adopters: peak usage occurs in the 20-24 age group and falls away steeply above 35, although 25% of 65 and overs claim to have used a cloud media service at some time.

The leading service, again not surprisingly, is Apple’s iCloud, which is used by 27% of all respondents and by more than a third of all under 35s. Dropbox, Amazon Cloud Player and Google Music are the next most important services. Music is the dominant media type for most services but usage of video, games and other genres is not insignificant for all of the leading players. We'll be analysing the results for the European market shortly, although fewer such services have been available compared to the US.

As stores selling physical media continue to close in great number (HMV and Blockbuster just two recent examples in the UK) the signs seem clear: the next generation of music and video customers is quite happy storing media in the cloud, not on discs in their personal collections.

David Mercer

If there were any further doubts about the increasing prominence of today’s two most successful technology brands they are dispelled by the results of our latest ConsumerMetrix Technology Brand Preference Index. Tracking changes in sentiment over the past half-year, the survey found that only two out of 17 top international brands managed to increase their score significantly.

Samsung led the way with a rise of 4.4%, followed by Apple with 2.3%. Panasonic and Asus managed marginal improvements, but every other brand saw a decline in its brand preference score. Those worst hit were mobile-centric brands Blackberry (down nearly 10%), Motorola and Nokia (each recording falls of more than 4%). The industry will be familiar with the woes of these firms but it seems that consumer sentiment is not far behind.

Apple’s improved score has allowed it to leapfrog HP to third place in the table, but it remains some way behind Sony. Even though the Japanese giant slipped one point it remains firmly in second place (and perhaps contradicting the previous comment, since Sony’s troubles have apparently not led to a collapse in consumer support, yet). It is worth noting that Apple scores markedly worse in France and Germany than in other countries, but it has now overtaken Samsung to become the most preferred brand in the highest income segments.

Our survey asked more than 6500 consumers across the US and EU4 (France, Germany, Italy, UK) to indicate how likely they would choose a brand when considering buying technology products such as computers, mobile phones, TVs or related products. Importantly we ask people to consider what they know about these brands and what they normally spend on such products.

We’re not releasing the full set of data this time, but you can access the previous table here. The full rankings, in order of preference, are now Samsung, Sony, Apple, HP, LG, Panasonic, Dell, Nokia, Philips, Toshiba, Acer, Sharp, Asus, Motorola, Sanyo, Blackberry, Lenovo. We did include other brands in the survey, including “emerging” hardware brands like Amazon and Google, but we are saving those results for future analysis (and for our valued clients).

David Mercer

Our latest ConsumerMetrix report suggests that Samsung is failing to capitalise on its leadership in the TV and mobile phone markets. Samsung is obviously a brand leader in each of these segments, but few consumers own more than one Samsung product, suggesting that the brand loyalty in TV and phones respectively is not transferring to other products. If we define a Samsung household as owning at least one Samsung TV, phone or PC (the products covered in this survey), we find that 80% of these households own only one of these products.

Another key finding is that 40% of current owners of Samsung mobile phones are likely to buy a Samsung phone next time round, while only 13% say they would buy an iPhone. By contrast, owners of Samsung TVs are equally likely to buy a Samsung phone as an iPhone (around 24% in each case).

We might well argue why owners of a particular brand of TV should necessarily be more inclined to buy a phone of the same brand – surely these products are unrelated and consumers are right in treating them independently? But that would suggest that brands have no influence in general across different technology products, which is difficult to believe. It certainly seems in this case that an improvement in communications with its TV customers could help Samsung fight off the threat from Apple’s iPhone.

David Mercer

About fifteen years ago I was interviewed by a Korean television station which was examining Samsung’s plans to become a world force in consumer electronics. It’s difficult to imagine in 2012, but in 1997 Samsung was pretty much a no-name brand, or at best third-tier, in many parts of the world. I received one question which sticks in my mind: “When do you think Samsung can become a major global brand?”  And I remember my answer fairly well: “It will take at least five years to become globally recognised, but leadership may be possible within ten.”

Our latest ConsumerMetrix Bulletin demonstrates just how dramatically successful Samsung’s strategy has been. Samsung is now the most preferred technology brand in every single market, age group and income bracket included in our survey. To be fair, it only just scrapes in as number one in the highest income groups, where it is in a very close race with Apple and Sony. But there’s no doubt that Samsung’s strength is its appeal across all consumer segments.

Samsung’s number one position may surprise some people, given the enormous commercial success of one of its key rivals, Apple. From general media coverage, which Apple is clearly expert at managing, it might be assumed that Apple is streets ahead of any competitor. But our survey shows that while Apple certainly is a powerhouse with younger and more affluent consumers, its appeal is more limited with other segments. Since most of Apple’s competitors would swap financial statements in the blink of an eye, this does appear to raise the question: does overall brand preference actually matter? It clearly doesn’t offer the whole story for a comprehensive competitive analysis, but we do believe it offers valuable guidance on future consumer decisions and overall brand value.

 Apple’s success is even more recent than Samsung’s, having begun only with the launch of the iPod ten years ago, and even then its rise began slowly. It could be that Apple’s trendline is steeper than Samsung’s: if Apple’s preference ratings are growing more rapidly in different segments it may be on course to catch Samsung at some point in the future. We will be conducting further analysis of our ConsumerMetrix datasets to establish some guidance on these issues.

David Mercer

Samsung’s continued growth as a leading technology brand is highlighted in our latest ConsumerMetrix Bulletin, which finds that Samsung is the most preferred technology brand amongst Sky households in the UK. 51% of Sky customers say they would definitely or probably buy a Samsung-branded technology product, compared to 46% for Sony or SonyEricsson, and 42% for Apple. CMOs at Motorola and Lenovo had better look away now: their brands are preferred by only 15% and 7% of Sky customers respectively.

Sky has a higher-than-average income profile in the UK, so that’s even better news for brands targeting Sky customers. Sky’s penetration of £60k+ annual income households is now nearly 50%. And Sky households also own more of virtually every technology product included in our ConsumerMetrix survey.

ConsumerMetrix also shows that Sky has worked hard to improve its customer satisfaction ratings over the past year. After they dipped in 2011, there was a recovery on most metrics in Q1 2012. So in spite of the challenging economic background, Sky continues to excel at what it has always done best – focusing on the needs of its customers, albeit at a price: “overall value for money” is once again given the lowest rating by Sky’s customers.

David Mercer