TV shows rule the roost when it comes to the most-watched content on Comcast’s VOD platform. In a blog post, Comcast’s Matt Strauss, senior vice president of digital and emerging platforms, wrote that the company’s subscribers watched more than 80 million hours of TV on VOD per month.
“With the ability to easily access and watch most of the current top-rated TV series from broadcast and cable networks, many customers are catching up with their favorite shows next day On Demand, and in some cases, instead of using the DVR,” Strauss wrote. “This year, we are on track to exceed 30 billion total views since the On Demand platform launched in 2003.”
Strauss’ comments were in context to Comcast releasing its Third Annual On Demand Awards yesterday, which track the most watched TV series, movies and musicians on its Xfinity On Demand service.
Strauss said that marathon, or binge viewing was a major VOD trend last year. Binge viewing was defined as subscribers watching entire TV series, such as “Grey’s Anatomy,” on VOD. Comcast offers every episode of “Grey’s Anatomy,” from season one through eight, through its Streampix service.
“Of all TV series, ‘Grey’s’ has the most views per viewer in a month, telling us it’s the most binge-watched show in all of our offerings,” Strauss said. “In fact, in one month in 2012, the average ‘Grey’s’ viewer racked up an average of 20 episode views.”
The most viewed overall TV series was “The Big Bang Theory,” followed by “Family Guy,” and “Game of Thrones.” The top new TV series was “Duck Dynasty,” followed by “Girls and “Revolution.”
For kids, the top series were, in order, “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse,” “Adventure Time,” and “Regular Show.”
The most viewed new release moves were “21 Jump Street,” “Alvin and The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked,” “We Bought Zoo,” and “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island.” The most-viewed music artists were Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj and Chris Brown.
“Each year, we look forward to seeing which shows, movies and musicians were top choices among audiences across the country. We saw huge growth in On Demand views this year, especially for current-season TV shows,” says Maggie McLean Suniewick, vice president, video services, Comcast Cable. “Xfinity On Demand is a top viewing destination for our customers, which is a testament to the continually growing library of content that we offer on the platform.”
