We live in a world where the customer has evolved to expect the same experience across different screens as he or she moves among devices. Reality, however, is lagging the ideal. For the most part, migration from screen to screen is not seamless. Instead, users have to deal with authentication issues and the fact that content might not appear the same across all devices.In attempts to provide a more seamless experience for their customers accessing TV Everywhere content, cable providers are deploying a cloud-based television option, while realizing cost savings and reduced complexities, according to Nick Ontiveros, director of marketing at ONO.

“While it’s obvious that the uniformity of content is important, a real benefit that customers respond to is the persistency of their ‘TV identity’: their favorites and preferences follow them, so the same product that makes for an engaging experience in the living room is now unlocked to offer these benefits on their other screens,” Ontiveros said in a recent interview.

These days, everything is moving into the cloud, so it’s certainly not far-fetched to assume that television will find a safe home there, too.

The great majority of television watching is still done in the living room, and it will be done there for the foreseeable future. As such, it’s important that cable providers not underestimate the value of their set-top boxes in the minds of their customers. So, rather than viewing cloud-based television as something that can offset or replace traditional price packages, providers should look to modern technology as something that could help supplement it, delivering a seamless TV Everywhere experience along the way.