Hamburg, November 9th, 2020 – The open HbbTV standard, Amazon Fire TV, and Samsung Tizen are most often found in Germans' living rooms. However, when looking at actual usage, the importance of the TV platforms of Telekom, Vodafone, and Sky is already apparent. Meanwhile, the hot topic for the future is Comcast subsidiary Metrological. These are the findings of the updated reach study by TeraVolt GmbH, which the Hamburg-based company conducted with the support of a twelve-member expert panel and the Facit market research institute.
While Amazon Fire TV (4.3 million households) has the third-highest reach behind HbbTV (15.3 million) and Tizen (5.9 million), it falls behind MagentaTV (Deutsche Telekom), Metrological, Foxxum, and Android TV in terms of actual usage. In particular, Metrological, whose solutions are trusted by Sky and Vodafone, is likely to play a significant role in the German TV market.
TeraVolt, for example, forecasts that Metrological will increase its reach by 31 percent annually and climb to second place in terms of actual usage. As a result, Samsung's Tizen is slipping to fourth place, while HbbTV remains the undisputed number one.
TV apps are so relevant because people's usage behavior is constantly changing. Streaming services and TV media libraries are leading to a de-linearization that will intensify in the coming years.
"Vodafone and Sky, as well as Tele Columbus, already rely on Metrological's App Store. The Comcast subsidiary will therefore grow into one of the most important platforms for TV apps in Germany and could even become more important than Tizen and Amazon Fire TV," says Tobias Künkel Managing Partner at TeraVolt, who also attributes a lot of power to Amazon. However: "Amazon is now present with its app-enabled devices in more living rooms than Telekom, Vodafone, Sky, or Google. With its prime offer, Amazon offers a product that enables direct identification, data acquisition, and customer billing. These are important factors for long-term success and customer loyalty.
Background information: Last year, TeraVolt had already investigated in the first version of its reach study how many German households had Amazon Fire TV, HbbTV, and Co. With the update of the study, this reach should now be put in relation to the viewers' actual usage.
About TeraVolt
TeraVolt GmbH is an owner-managed agency for enhanced TV, based in Hamburg, Germany. Founded in 2006, TeraVolt specializes in the development of pioneering digital TV experiences. The agency provides its customers with tailor-made solutions, from market-specific consultation to the creation and technical implementation of innovative products. Its product portfolio includes services, consultation, and applications in the areas of Managed Platforms, Enhanced TV, Monetization, and OTT. With a headquarter based in Hamburg, TeraVolt consists of a highly experienced management team and 45 strategy, product, and technology experts.
About the reach study
The data in the study is based on meaningful secondary sources. The panel consists of 12 experts working for major private and public broadcasters, established and new TV platforms, associations, and other companies. The statements of the experts were used, in particular, for the interpolation of the data and the forecasts.