Garrick here…  Today, it’s not uncommon for consumers to enjoy their favorite shows while riding the subway, taking their lunch break or waiting for a flight. With more than 10 billion mobile-connected devices expected to hit the market in 2017 and an estimated 650 million Internet-connected televisions slated to hit the same time, TV Everywhere has taken the television market by storm.

TV Everywhere– the verification system that allows operators to authenticate consumers who want to watch content on their mobile devices –has revolutionized the way consumers watch and interact with their favorite programs.In fact, 77 percent of the time, viewers watch TV with another device by their side, according to Google’s multi-screen study. Big events like the Summer Olympics and March Madness are evidence that consumers want access to riveting content anywhere, anytime—a behavior that is fueling the concept of TV Everywhere. For example, during the 2012 Summer Olympics, more than 88 million authenticated streams were provided to 10 million devices in seven million households in the U.S.

But despite its growth, awareness of TV Everywhere is still limited. Data from a recent GfK study suggests that 43 percent of consumers in pay TV homes used their provider, a TV network or both to access TV Everywhere websites or apps; only 22 percent of participants were aware of the term TV Everywhere; and 34 percent were familiar with the term “authentication.” Furthermore, seven out of 10 participants said that the authentication process would discourage them from using such a service.

While this trend shows no sign of slowing down, the process of authentication and awareness remains a challenge for operators as evidenced by the study above. However, the industry is combating these obstacles with more sophisticated login methods and customer management solutions.

Are you looking for an easy, fully integrated authentication solution? Check out our customer self-care portal designed to enable your customers to easily manage all of their TV Everywhere access from one centralized portal here.