Summary
This commentary on the digital media landscape looks at the changes that affect businesses, which in 2013 is focused on the current state and near future of video distribution and consumption. At the same time that computing and the internet has become uncoupled from the desktop it seems that media consumption is increasingly dominated by screens and detached from publishers and published schedules. Advertising is becoming increasingly experiential but does not detract from the continued importance of advertising that interrupts, with television still the significant leader of media channel usage. This report includes individual country datasets from Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Slovak Republic, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Turkey, UK and USA.

Summary
Rapid change in media consumption behavior among Asian consumers, with more multi-screening and declining print and radio use, has implications for both advertisers and content owners. Turner International, for example, is working to promote its brands rather than specific content, and grappling with the extent to which they should localise content without fragmenting the audience too greatly for advertisers. Another issue is the differing rates of penetration of broadband across the region, which poses a challenge for content producers to be able to offer the same consumer experience in Singapore as, for example, Indonesia. And for brand owners creating their own content there is a warning that quality control is important and that creativity requires significant investment.

Summary
This paper discusses and provides examples of two current mobile trends: 'dual screening' and 'clickable things'. Dual screening describes the increasing number of people (80%, according to some research) who use mobile devices whilst watching TV. It will be a strong tool for broadcasters and brands, particularly around narrative-driven, immersive drama and other genres such as reality, comedy and sports. For example, the free NHL pre-play app allows TV viewers to play along with a game by making live predictions. 'Clickable things' (related to the idea of the 'internet of things') enables the use of mobiles to 'click' images and objects in the real world. An example is Tesco's clickable store front in the South Korean Metro, in which consumers are able to shop for home delivery groceries by simply clicking pictures of grocery items on the Metro wall. Technology is not far away from allowing mobiles to recognise 3D objects, which will open up new opportunities.

Summary
The growth of social media has led to trends such as Social TV, in which consumers combine social media with their TV viewing. Initiative undertook a study across seven global markets - Argentina, Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK and the US - surveying 8,000 consumers about their use of social, mobile and TV. The findings showed that TV's future is symbiotically liked to social media and this demands a new approach dubbed 'brand navigation'. There are four key navigation strategies highlighted and examples of Social TV in action from Hyundai's link with the US TV series Burn Notice to SyFy Network's forthcoming combined TV/Massive Multiplayer Game programme, Defiance.

Summary
Topline stats show that investment into video-on-demand lags VoD viewership by 3:1. This article looks more closely at individual audiences' consumption and engagement with VoD relative to other channels. It draws from Carat's Consumer Connection Survey and looks at two specific audiences in two European countries, using the results to offer some planning guidelines towards investment. The audiences analysed were: men aged 16 to 34 and housewives with children in Germany and the UK.

Summary
Tom Cunniff of personal care company, Combe, believes social TV gives brands the opportunity to connect with consumers in a more engaging, emotional way. In this interview piece, he shares his perspective on the buzz surrounding social TV and its potential impact. The growth of social TV is being fuelled by marketers' need for scale (which digital media doesn't provide) and consumers' lasting connection to TV as a medium. The data provided by social TV can lead to better programming decisions but it is live events or competition reality shows that are most suitable for stimulating social activity.

Summary
Connectivity creates the opportunity for TVs to take on some of the capabilities of the PC. But what do people actually want to use connected TVs for? Mindshare's work with its online research community, the Hive, has shown that the fundamental role of TV is likely to remain the same. Connected behaviours sit more naturally on the second screen - a tablet/iPad, smartphone or laptop - where they do not interrupt TV viewing. Around 40% of people in broadband homes are now using second screens while watching TV at least once per week. Opportunities can be separated into five categories: on-demand video content, content sharing, transactions, social interaction and companion content. There are several obstacles to addressable advertising (advertising delivered to specific households) becoming a reality, while the second screen is platform agnostic and used independently of the TV and opens up commercial opportunities in programming itself.

Summary
Six charts representing the state of TV advertising expenditure. TV adspend is forecast to increase by 5.9% worldwide in 2012. This total includes a 13.2% rise for China and a 5.6% increase for the US, which is still the world's largest TV market by far. While DVR devices and online video – viewed on computers, tablets and smartphones – have changed the way many watch TV, live viewing still dominates. Last year, the typical young adult in the US watched almost 137 hours of traditional TV per month, compared with 31 hours of time-shifted TV. Globally, almost as many web users view online videos each day as watch TV (24%, compared with 27%). multi-screening is another major trend, with half of tablet owners checking their social media profile while watching TV.

Summary
Research by the television network ABC into Americans' TV consumption via tablet devices is the focus of this report from the ARF's annual Re:think conference. The study found that ad-supported programming was preferred over paid content; online TV viewing was strongly skewed to at-home consumption due to a lack of connectivity away from home; short clips attracted the largest audiences; and news and TV dramas were the most popular programming genres. About two thirds of those surveyed used their "mini-TVs" to watch old programming, nearly half to catch up on recent shows and about a third to find shows not available via traditional TV.

Summary
This report covers the opening address of Peter Naylor, NBCUniversal, to the IAB's Annual Leadership conference in Miami. He considers the massive changes that have taken place in the TV broadcasting landscape and looks to the opportunities that the future "video age" holds. He outlines four new realities: mainstreaming of video on all devices; the growing importance of social TV; the effectiveness of multi-platform campaigns; and television remaining a gold standard.