I Want My iTouch TV

Jorge Espinel / March 4, 2009

Ever since I updated the software on my iPod Touch, I have increasingly found myself using it to watch full-length TV shows. I am able to watch the evening news, news talk shows, old sitcoms and some ESPN content. I enjoy my TV experience on the Touch because it is personal but more importantly on demand. I can use it right before I go to sleep or if I am having some hot chocolate at a Starbucks. I can also watch the shows I like without forcing everyone else around me to watch them.

Today, there are not many applications that offer full-length video content on the iPod Touch or iPhone. The one I used the most is AOL’s Truveo application. It offers a set of full-length shows, particularly in the news category. I have recently begun using Joost’s app which offers some full episodes of shows from networks like MTV. The latest addition to my portfolio of video apps is TV.com. This app offers primarily clips from shows but in some cases it offers full-length episodes.

ComScore released a study of mobile users in August 2008 that suggests consumers are interested in watching long-form programming on their mobile phones. Here are the key data tables from ComScore’s study.

This data suggests that the market may reflect my behavior over time. Please note that this is in an environment where content owners are limiting the amount of long-form programming on mobile devices.

As my iPod “viewing” habits grow, here are some things about my behavior that have surprised myself:
- Prefer to browse than to search for TV episodes (from category to TV network to show name to episode)
- Look to find “fresh” news TV shows. Today, most TV shows made available are a day old. Disappoints me every time.
- Seek for Traditional TV network brands. I would like to be able to bookmark my favorite TV networks.
- Get bothered when results for a particular show mix full-length episodes and clips
- Look for relevant recommendations. A Pandora-like engine for TV shows would be helpful

I expect my video consumption to grow as more long programming becomes available on my iPod Touch. Also, I hope the applications evolve to better support long-form programming. Most of them seem to have been optimized for clips and short-form videos. TV networks in particular may consider developing their own applications. I would enjoy being able to have the apps from favorite TV networks.