Media consumption, like most things, can be broken down into various age demographics. While the brackets tend to have somewhat arbitrary numbers attached to them  — does turning 26 years old really change the preferred method of watching your favorite TV shows? — they can serve as a platform for observation. With thanks to Statista and Deloitte, the gap between paid cable subscriptions and streaming services, among other things, for those in the United States can be clearly shown.

It comes as no real surprise to see the two younger age groups consume the least amount of television while also nabbing the top two spots in video streaming. Somewhat surprising is to see the leading millennials 26-31 age group absorbing more newspaper, be it digital or print, than their older 32-48 counterparts. With large number of online and subscriptions available, plus the Washington Post’s agreement with Kindle customers, perhaps the leading millennial group has come back around in a cyclical trend of newspaper reading.

The percentage of the different aged people who are content with their current cable TV subscription is closely tied with age. The youngest three groups are the least satisfied, reporting at most 55% saying they haven’t at least considered cutting the cord.

With no shortage of streaming or screencasting options — despite AppleTV’s recent insistence on requiring a cable package for CBS Sports, USA and NBC Sports — the number of current and potential cord cutters has increased over the years, particularly in the younger crowds. Already 25% of the polled age-14 through 25 group hasn’t paid for TV in over a year or have ended their cable subscription within 12 months. Within the age group another trend emerges as 28% of 19-25 year olds versus 21% of 14-18 year olds are calling themselves cord cutters.

As the overall demand for TV changes, so does the desire for the way TV packages are sold. For the first time in the three year data set, more than 50% of the polled desire the ability to choose individual channels to watch. A three year decrease in the average number of channels watched further highlights the growing calls for an a la carte system. Canada is already developing a government mandate for cable companies to allow customers to choose individual channels after an initial package, though no legislative traction has gained ground in the U.S. yet.

The numbers represent a clear trend in increased subscription based services and a desire to either ditch cable TV altogether or give it a serious overhaul in programming options. The people are applying pressure to big cable with their wallets as companies lose money with every person severing their TV packages. Still, and with apologies to Bon Jovi, at this point it feels like we’re livin’ on a prayer rather than being halfway there.

(Header image via Deloitte)

Despite — or in some cases because of — Google’s insistence on pushing forward with new web browsing technologies, the tech giant continues to dominate the browser demographics for desktops as well as mobile phones and tablets. Not only has Chrome been on the rise for people at home, but also on the go. Via numbers from StatCounter Global Stats for mobile and tablets, only Chrome and to a much lesser extent the Android-based UC Browser and IE Mobile have increased their market shares since December 2012, the first month of collected data (click to embiggen).

For fellow computer users, and where many concerns stem from as Google phases out older technology, Chrome is even more dominant than on the mobile market. Again according to StatCounter GC, Chrome holds a remarkable 52.96% of the desktop browser market share. The gap between Chrome and everyone else has been widening since May of 2012, however Microsoft’s newest browser, Edge is looking to change things provided you’re running a Windows 10 machine.

Edge doesn’t yet have a release date, but it something I’m eager to check out. It is seemingly looking to streamline the web, something I can get behind as separate tabs and locations for things like favorites, recently visited, current downloads and my reading list are all found in different areas in Chrome. Edge’s “Hub” will place them all in one easy to access area, however it isn’t all sunshine and rainbows with Microsoft’s latest browser. While the company is promising support for existing Chrome and Firefox extensions, that support will not be arriving until a later date. No official word on Silverlight being compatible with Edge, though recent history suggests it would be as all Windows 8 devices, including the tablet Surface Pro 3, are. It would be a stunning (though in my opinion welcome) reversal if Windows 10 and by extension Edge, was not Silverlight compatible. An introduction video to Edge can be found on YouTube.

Already some sports fans are finding themselves caught in the crossfire of the browser battles, specifically those looking to watch games on Sky TV, the preeminent broadcast of English Premier League soccer games in the United Kingdom. Sky — working with BT Sports — recently negotiated a new cable deal where Sky holds broadcast rights to 126 EPL matches per season, three times as many games as BT Sports will broadcast. On the Sky Go page there is a message regarding the incompatibility:

Until Edge is officially released — and probably for some time after — Chrome remains the undisputed browser champion. If Microsoft really does aim to “blur the line between consumption and creation” as the Edge preview video suggests, Windows 10 and Edge will drop Silverlight support and force broadcast companies to update to new and better technologies. What I don’t want to see is Edge allowing massive companies to sit on their hands at the cost of time and frustration for customers.

(Header image via Microsoft)

The live-stream app Meerkat went live on the Android market today. It’s still in Beta form, so things may not be perfect just yet, however as TechGraphs overlord David Temple explained over a month ago, Meerkat — and Periscope — both offer a new way to broadcast video.

Meerkat’s rules page doesn’t clearly define what you can or can’t stream as it is more of an outline of features.

Once you jump into the legal area of their terms of use one can see the company strictly prohibits broadcasting copyrighted material — as do the content creators. HBO has already sent out takedown notices to people streaming the new Game of Thrones season via Meerkat, though perhaps the company is in the takedown notice mood. Other creative minds have gone the opposite way and are embracing Meerkat. Entertainers such as Jimmy Fallon, Snoop Dogg and Jim Gaffigan are sprinkled among Meerkat’s leader-board in order for them to be easily found. If you are so inclined to follow them on Meerkat, expect a push notification when they begin a new broadcast.

Within each cast there is a chat room for interaction between viewers and the broadcaster. One of the pillars of Meerkat is the ability to cast in the here and now, however the company has also added ability to schedule a future broadcast. The quality of the available casts seems to be dependent on the the strength of the caster’s internet connection. In my brief experiences those doing in an office or home setting have had a quality better than Vines — even with their new 720p broadcasts — however what I assumed to be 4G/LTE connections stuttered and froze from to time. Part of it could be the app is still in Beta or it could be that the heavy bandwidth required to stream is too taxing on user’s non-WiFi networks.

These are urky broadcasting rights waters we’ve waded into. From takedown notices, muted streams on Twitch.tv due to music rights to being wary of narcs taking you down in person for an illegally stream boxing match, the gap between producers and end-users appears to be widening.

(Header image via Meerkat)

The Kentucky Derby will take place in two days, but in terms of broadcast availability and on-site consumer technology, it feels like an event from previous decades. Churchill Downs has already banned drones and so-called remote controlled aircraft and selfie-sticks, though most of us are probably happy about the latter. The race organizer’s safety ban list includes plucky and niche devices such as laptops, cameras with a 6” lens or longer and camcorders.

To their credit, mobile phones and tablets are allowed on the premises. There are most definitely legitimate safety concerns at any sporting event, but here you can bring a stroller with you, only if you have a child in attendance. If you bring that same child on a wagon, you’re out of luck though. Maybe I’m wrongfully criticizing the Kentucky Derby; they are by no means the only sport to to ban drones. It didn’t take an FAA act like the Super Bowl nor a county-wide ban like The Masters, however it’s hard for me to be lenient on a sporting event that ranked in the top-10 in brand value last year at $99 million.

It’s tough to make excuses for the Derby when they’re not even making an attempt to embrace new technology like other race events. Despite my complaints — and animal treatment concerns — viewership for the Kentucky Derby is in a better place than both 10 and 20 years ago. Television views for the Derby have been up and down over the past few years, though they have seen a distinct uptick since NBC took over from ABC in 2001 (click to embiggen).

NBC does allow streaming of the race via their Sports Live Extra service, thought that option  demands a qualifying cable subscription. AppleTV and Roku users now have the option to view the race among other NBC Sports exclusives (again with a cable package), though Sling TV, Chromecast and FireTV cord cutters are still left with zero options.

(Header image via NBC)

The landscape of television programming availability is constantly shifting. Though some networks and cable providers have been giving end users a difficult time, NBC is shifting more freedom towards their cable subscribers. The broadcast giant has now made their NBC Sports Live Extra app available on both AppleTV and Roku boxes, allowing those with qualified cable plans to view NBC covered sports ranging from the PGA Tour to English Premier League action.

Allison Moore, general manager and executive vice-president of TV Everywhere (NBC Universal) was quoted:

“This launch demonstrates NBC Sports’ ongoing commitment to provide added value to loyal fans who can now have more access to the live sporting events they love. Customers love our Apps on iPhone and iPad and we can’t wait for them to experience what we can offer on Apple TV.”

On the Roku side of things, Moore went on to say:

“As we have seen with the success of the NFL and the Olympic Games, real-time sports programming with a cross-device reach is a crown jewel in NBCUniversal’s ever-expanding TV Everywhere initiative.”

While these moves fail to address cord cutters, at least a major content provider is paying attention to the desires of their existing customers. It may not bring anyone who has already parted ways with their cable bill, but it just might keep a few more sports fans in the NBC fold. With other traditional content companies attempting to embrace new broadcast media, namely Cablevision’s recent partnerships with Hulu and HBO Now, it appears as though the old dogs are trying to learn new tricks.

(Header image via Roku)

A torn knee ligament, shoulder surgery and now wrist injuries can be added to the list of career threatening injuries to those making a living playing video games. In the wake of the sudden retirement of League of Legends pro Hai “Hai” Lam where he specifically cites an ongoing wrist injury, it may be time to re-examine our thoughts on esports competitors as athletes. Repetitive strain injuries from tennis elbow to carpal tunnel effect athletes and esports competitors alike.

The United State government already formally recognizes some esports competitors as athletes by granting multiple P-1A visas, given specifically to athletes. While certainly not a normal athletic workload, esports at the highest level has nonetheless produced a long list of injuries, most notably in the wrist and neck, for years.

In StarCraft II, injuries have forced out arguably the best player in the five year history of the game, Jung “Mvp” Jong Hyun. The four time champion of the Global Star League is the third highest earner in prize money with over $400,000 in the bank for his tournament showings. Mvp’s career was derailed when pains in his neck caused numbness in his shoulders and arms.

Canadian player and at one point arguably the best non-Korean player in the world Sasha “Scarlett” Hostyn was temporarily forced away from the game to allow her wrists to recover.

Former competitor Kim “Ganzi” Dong Ju is another victim of wrist injuries, tweeting his retirement announcement and the reason for it.

Popular player Shawn “Sheth” Simon was also felled by injuries, citing in a forum post that pain in his hands have prevented him from playing anything more than a handful of matches per week.

The world of esports is in an awkward position. While getting ESPN2 airtime on a Sunday evening with a Heroes of the Storm collegiate aptly named “Heroes of the Dorm” match is a welcome sight to esports fans as is the emerging scenes across various games, the lack of team infrastructure is alarming. Without any sort of players union or dedicated medical staff, the players lack protection from injuries that have already ended or shortened multiple careers.

(Header image via Wikipedia)

The NFL has been gracious enough to stream the draft itself for the past few years and 2015 is no different. The stream for the draft is an NFL.com exclusive and they are boasting a record setting 53 hours of coverage between April 30 – May 2, though not all of their content is available online. Owners of an XBox One can access the draft through the app, however authentication is required. On the NFL Youtube channel, the first round picks will be uploaded, but if you’re looking for more information before the first pick is announced, there is no shortage of other sources.

For standard coverage such as pre-draft boards and predictions, the normal Sports Illustrated, Fox, ESPN, Yahoo! and CBS sites do the job, however for someone who is looking to put something on in the background, 120 Sports is the place to go. We’ve taken a look at 120 Sports in the past, however they warrant another go with their impressive schedule of events. The 120 Sports site is already indexed with videos of player information, evaluations and look-ins. Their full press release can be found here, though the following are some of the highlights.

– Beginning on Sunday, April 26 a mock draft sets the tone for the rest of the week as the four-hour event will have insight from former players, scouts and experts.

– The next event isn’t until Wednesday, April 28, however it should be worth the wait as at least five NFL prospects will have exclusive interviews. Some of the scheduled interviews are projected first-rounder Dorial Green-Beckham as well as Ameer Abdullah and Devin Gardner.

– Once the actual draft kicks off, 120 Sports continues to offer programming as a second screen to the NFL.com broadcast. Pre-draft as well as backstage interviews with players are on the docket throughout the three day event as are fan interviews.

Available on mobile for iOS and AppleTV as well as Android and Chromecast, 120 Sports offers plenty of ways to stay up to date on the draft for those without a cable subscription. Seeing such an extensive amount of programming from a non-TV entity is perfect for cable cutters. Hopefully they’ll do the same with the upcoming MLB draft.

The tale of two mobile carriers could be at an end. For years Verizon and AT&T have flip-flopped between the being the largest domestic carrier, though not for lack of competition. Soon, perhaps today, Google will announce they’re joining the ranks, but it seems they will be partnered with existing carriers T-Mobile and Sprint. For now it seems as though the Google service will have data priced based on pure usage rather than paying for a set data plan. Still just a rumor at this point and limited to the Nexus 6 phone on T-Mobile and Sprint, Google appears set to dip their toes in the wireless provider market.

For example, the alleged data plan would not require agreeing to anything resembling current 3GB data plans where if you were to go over said agreed data plan, you’d be hit with overages. Both AT&T and Verizon offer data calculators, however  watching five hours of video (maybe two baseball games) with no emails, tweets etc. account for almost 2 GB. Verizon is partnered with NFL Mobile, but on their calculator the same 300 minutes of streaming the NFL Mobile is counted at 625 MB, barely one third the data usage of the 1750 MB 300 minutes of 4G usage tallies.

In select AT&T and Verizon plans a $15 overage for as little as 250 MB can be applied to your monthly bill. If price is a concern in for your next phone, and it is for just about everyone these days, you may want to avoid Verizon as they don’t even want your business. According to Bloomberg and chief financial officer Francis Shammo, Verizon lost about 138,000 postpaid accounts — a standard account and not prepaid — over the past three months, but Shammo didn’t pull any punches on his thoughts during the quarterly earnings call:

“If the customer who is just price-sensitive and does not care about the quality of the network—or is sufficient with just paying a lower price—that’s probably the customer we’re not going to be able to keep.”

Give how well poorly Verizon’s attempt at a tech blog went, the big red telcom could be out of touch with much of its user base. Perhaps if robots were penning the stories, something Verizon apparently wanted due to strict limitations of news coverage, the site would still be up. Whether they’re alienating their consumers or not, as recently as Q4 2013 Verizon was the biggest carrier in the US, though the latest numbers have them tied with AT&T at 34% of the market each. The table below, powered by Statista, displays carrier market share as far back as the first quarter of 2011.

Google is pushing, or more accurately in some cases dragging, the web as their extensions will soon no longer be compatible with older website designs and now YouTube apps are no longer compatible with many older devices. The advances Google is bounding forward on in web development will hopefully be mirrored on the wireless phone service side of things.

HBO, despite attempts to draw a larger consumer base via the still-new HBO Now streaming platform, seem set on alienating some of those very same new consumers. As stated in the terms of service, HBO NOW is available and designed strictly for United States residents, though numerous Canadians, European countries and Australia have circumvented the geo-locking HBO has placed on their product. At least until a few days ago, when The Sydney Morning Herald reported receiving emails from HBO warning of the potential for service to be cut off as soon as tomorrow. Rather than get payment in exchange for a service — a pretty basic concept — HBO seems to prefer receiving nothing.

From the above link, the following is an email sent to an Australian HBO Now user:

Using a virtual private network (VPN) to trick the HBO NOW service into believing the the customer is located within the U.S. is apparently akin to pirating. If HBO is threatening to punish people who already pay for their service, it is curious to see them complain about online leaks when they take away a viable option for people to lawfully watch their shows.

On the opposite end of the spectrum is Netflix, who also has strict terms of service regarding location, but is yet to actively target consumers. The streaming giant did limit the mobile — specifically Android — based geo-locking tricks, however Netflix spokesman Cliff Edwards said as long as the consumer can be verified in the correct location, they company will not block legitimate VPN usage. In an email Edwards wrote “There’s been no change to our VPN policy.” In a separate appearance, Edwards claimed “Detecting VPN usage is like playing a game of whack-a-mole.By their very nature, it’s difficult to tell how many people are bypassing geofilters.”

HBO NOW’s launch was disappointing even before this with their initial exclusive Apple partnership, but to see them go after paying customers, despite being out of the country, is shocking. If a foreign cord cutter isn’t allowed to pay for the standalone HBO programming, only one option remains and it involves the consumer getting what they want with HBO receiving zero payment.

(Image via HBO)

This year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup is set to be the grandest Women’s sporting event of all time. Today FIFA boasted a number of major technological advances to be unveiled upon kickoff, such as broadcasting 10 matches — including the final — in 8K Ultra HD format. The press release also announced each game will feature no less than 20 cameras and as many as 22 trained on the field, a step up from the 16 camera setup in 2011’s Women’s Cup.

The use of goal-line technology (GLT) is being revamped as well. Rather than stick with the GoalControl system used in the men’s World Cup in Brazil last year, FIFA has decided to go with the Hawk-eye system in Canada. Both employ seven cameras focused on each goal and will be called upon for a ruling if a goal or no goal situation arrises.

FIFA has noticed the rise in second screening demands as well, and the presser specifically indicates a team of producers with a focus on mobile, tablet and laptop users. In order to view every game you’ll need a television package, as the matches will be split up between Fox and Fox Sports 1 for the English broadcast and NBC-owned Telemundo for Spanish. Nicolas Ericson, FIFA Director of TV, stated:

This is the biggest broadcast production we have invested in so far for a women’s football tournament. This supports FIFA’s commitment to develop and promote women’s football and it reflects the huge momentum and interest in women’s football around the world today.

Via Statista and using previous Women’s World Cups as the bar, nothing has come particularly close as far as live spectators since the 1999 Cup.

On the other hand, 2011 saw ESPN have its highest rated soccer game of all time in the 2011 final between Japan and the United States. Television audiences were up around the world in 2011 compared the 2007 Women’s World Cup as well.

This year offers a good blend time zone friendly starts — the early afternoon games are perfect for Europe — new programming and embracing the fans with second screen options for what is shaping up to be the biggest Women’s World Cup yet.

(Header image via FIFA)