Video for connectable consoles EU5: market realities and opportunities

“Video for connectable consoles EU5: market realities and opportunities – ” Games Consoles : Xbox, PS3, Wii – Competition Landscape : TV and Video Markets/Internet access devices – Connected Consoles market shares and penetration – Content providers – TV and video strategy of console suppliers – France, UK, Germany, Spain, Italy - Pages : 29. Figures : 10.

Overview

While the entertainment options of a game console cannot, at first glance, challenge cable, satellite or IPTV yet, it is clear that console manufacturers are working to leverage these devices for multiple media consumption purposes. Microsoft, for instance, recently launched a new user interface for the Xbox, an enhanced voice and motion control functionality for Kinect, as well as easier ways to connect with friends. Most importantly, with the increasing number of content partnerships, game consoles are gradually turning into entertainment hubs that appeal to wider audiences. On the other hand, with the very recent launch of U.S. streaming service Netflix on multiple game consoles in Europe, 2012 might well mark the beginning of the expansion of Internet video consumption on game consoles.

However, the proliferation of connectable devices, such as Internet-enabled TVs, Blu-rays and set-top-boxes, along with the absence of strong revenue models, might turn connectable consoles into a challenging opportunity, where online video does not really represent an economically viable service, but rather a user engagement tool aimed at increasing the time spent on these devices.

In this report, Dataxis describes and analyzes the connectable home game console environment (excluding portable consoles), as well as the content services that are being designed by players within the EU5 connectable console ecosystem. The report includes an assessment of the evolution of Internet-enabled consoles and provides quantitative forecasts for the 2011-2015 period. Countries covered in this report are the U.K., France, Germany, Spain and Italy.