Some 1.1m Irish adults (42pc of the Irish online population) have used the RTÉ Player, the broadcaster says. RTÉ says this group also represents 91pc of the video-on-demand user base in Ireland.
“We have seen this advertising model grow in tandem with the launch of the new RTÉ apps,” said Conor Mullen, commercial director of RTÉ’s Digital division.
“The RTÉ Player iPhone, iPod touch and iPad apps, launched last December, have been downloaded 200,000 times to date. The rapid adoption of these apps illustrate that our audiences have an enormous appetite to consume RTÉ content on demand.
“The performance of RTÉ Player in January with 3.8m streams, was an all-time record, and this demonstrates the continued growth of the service,” Mullen said.
B&A research also highlighted interesting usage behaviour in relation to RTÉ Player, including the fact that 20pc of streams are being viewed by two or more people, which suggests that on-demand TV is moving away from just being a solo experience.
The new viewing experience
“In a survey of attitudinal statements, it was found that the RTÉ Player performs well as an enjoyable, personalised viewing experience, suitable for prominent brands to advertise on,” commented Ian McShane, managing director, B&A Ireland.
“The advertising landscape is being revolutionised; new formats, pricing models, the availability and ease-of-use of new technology has resulted in massive growth in online consumption.
“All of this is providing brands with new and compelling ways to connect with audiences, which in turn will see video-on-demand advertising spend grow considerably in the coming months and years,” McShane said.
In the US, it has been predicted that this year, 68pc of advertisers will increase the share of online display advertising devoted to video ads.
