Top 5 Tech Articles You Might’ve Missed - Week of June 30, 2014

This week, ARRIS SVP of Global Marketing Sandy Howe wrote a guest blog in Digital Marketing Magazine showcasing how multiscreen has changed traditional advertising forever. Sandy references key data points from our 2014 Consumer Entertainment Index that lead into four specific areas every marketer should take into account in their video advertising approach. As we continue to see multiple connected devices enter the consumers’ homes, Forbes’ Roger Kay posted a review of the ARRIS SURFboard SBG6782-AC, highlighting the gateway’s high bandwidth and low latency, as well as the clean, web-like interface and wireless features. And as our 2014 Consumer Entertainment Index notes how video experiences have changed with multiscreen, according to The Drum, more than 40 percent of consumers live in a home with more than one tablet, with the device largely being used to watch TV episodes or movies, YouTube, and to play games. Additionally, Rapid TV News discussed research from Parks Associates revealing that the three segments -- travelers, avid watchers and multiscreeners -- average nine hours of viewing per week on a smartphone or tablet. Finally, Broadband TV News reported on data from Nielsen’s Q1 2014 Cross-Platform Report noting that consumers in VOD homes watch an hour and five minutes of live television per day, compared with the 54 minutes of live TV time among non-VOD users. Check back next week for the latest industry news.

1. Why Multiscreen Merchandising is the Next Marketing Milestone (June 30) By Sandy Howe, Digital Marketing Magazine: Today, the average consumer owns a laptop, a smartphone, and (increasingly) a tablet; uses up to three devices to watch TV, and records entertainment to skip the adverts. That’s according to ARRIS’s recent Consumer Entertainment Index (CEI), which polled 10,500 people in 19 countries.
2. Modems Matter Redux (June 30) By Roger Kay, Forbes: Somehow, I’ve become known as a modem guy, probably from this post, but in any event, a company I could loosely call a former employer — since Arris Group bought some of my old firm Motorola’s assets in 2012, including its home and small business modem group — sent me one to try out.  I’ve had it for a few months.
3. Tablets are ‘go to’ device for TV, film, YouTube and gaming (June 27) By Ishbel Macleod, The Drum: Almost half (45 per cent) of all British adults now have a tablet compared to 32 per cent a year ago, according to research from Kantar Media’s syndicated study, futureProof.
4. Three out of seven key segments dominate multiscreen video (June 28) By Staff, Rapid TV News: Despite the diffuse nature of multiscreen devices, just three types of consumers — travellers, avid viewers and multiscreeners — watch the most mobile video content according to research from Parks Associates
5. In the US, VOD users watch more linear TV (July 1) By Staff, Broadband TV News: According to the Cross-Platform Report, over the last two years, VOD has come of age. Currently available in more than 60% of US household, VOD is increasingly contributing to the viewing potential and has emerged as a legitimate choice for consumers who might not have a PVR or simply missed recording last night’s episode.