Multi-screen is the way forward for our sporting summer

This weekend, we watched in disbelief as England crashed out of Euro 2012, yet again on penalties. So as we enjoy, or rather endure, this sporting summer, it’s interesting to note that one fifth of Europeans will be using connected devices to ensure they don’t miss a single sporting event, according to research carried out for Logitech by Opinion Matters . Whilst the Euros are now over for England, we still have Wimbledon and the Olympics to look forward to; and it’s looking likely that this sporting summer will be the tipping point for bringing the multi-screen experience into our living rooms.

The survey also revealed that 66 per cent of men control the remote. But by using new tablet and smartphone apps such as ANT Galio Move, arguments over the remote will become a thing of the past. Using a Wi-Fi connection, ANT Galio Move lets users stream live and recorded TV direct to tablets and smartphones anywhere in the home. This means that fans can watch the match on an iPad as they get refreshments from the kitchen while everyone else continues to watch on the main TV - no-one need ever miss a single kick again. Alternatively those that don’t want to watch the game can use the iPad to watch a different live channel or recorded programme. The app can also be used to manage recordings, access additional programme information and control the TV, all without interrupting the big game.

So with increasing numbers of consumers turning to multiple devices to watch all the sporting events over the summer, one thing we can be certain of is that the multi-screen experience looks set to stay. Perhaps slightly less certain however, are Great Britain’s chances for the rest of the sporting summer… For now, the pressure is firmly on Andy Murray to deliver a British victory at Wimbledon!

Over-the-Top a hit for all ages

Over-the-top (OTT) delivery is becoming increasingly popular for watching video content across a broadening range of connected devices. A survey carried out by Accenture shows that a growing number of consumers are choosing to watch video content over-the-top, on their TVs, smart-phones as well as PCs.

And it seems that viewers of all ages are increasingly accessing on-demand OTT content. It isn’t just the younger viewers who are driving this trend. The survey showed that 82% of participants aged 35-44 and 64% of participants over the age of 65 are also accessing OTT content.

Broadcasters and operators need to look to find ways to deliver the next generation of TV content, that will enable the viewer to engage and interact with the programmes they watch, not just on the TV but across other devices as well. Consumers are looking for a unified viewing experience across their connected devices.

TV Web surfing

Another interesting statistic from the report was consumers’ desire for Web browsing on the TV, just 14% wish to use this feature – an opinion we’ve supported many times in the past. Web services must be tailored for the TV viewing experience.

Needless Inconsistency

I'm using a smart phone with an OS that shall remain nameless (to protect the guilty), but I've found three different screens where three different operations are required to back out of a sub-menu or screen if it's been entered by mistake. There's a button with an arrow pointing left, which sometimes does it, sometimes it's necessary to touch a "cancel" button at the bottom of the touch-screen, and sometimes a menu must be opened to find the "cancel" option.

If I was playing a game it might be fun to search for these things, but here it is just tedious.

A good UI picks a small, powerful and intuitive set of interaction "patterns", preferably aligned with existing experience, and uses them everywhere. Otherwise it's like having to learn 1,000 verbs of a language when only 10 are necessary.