A new Nielsen survey provides some important insights into how users are accessing over the top conent, with half of all Netflix users connecting via a game console and about 89% of Hulu users watching directly on a computer.
The survey also found that 42% of Netflix users report watching on their computers and that about one-fifth of Hulu users and 14% of Netflix users report that they stream by connecting their computer to the TV.
In notable contrast, iPad usage was relatively small, with only 3% of Netflix users reporting using the iPad to access content and only 1% of Hulu viewers. That was less than internet-connected Blu-Ray players (11% for Netflix and 2% for Hulu), Internet enabled TVs (6% for Netflix and 2% for Hulu), the Roku box (5% for Netflix and 3% for Hulu), and mobile phones (3% for Netflix and 2% for Hulu).
The survey found smaller usage for Google TV and Apple TV, which were also cited as means for connecting with Hulu and Netflix.
The survey also found that Hulu and Netflix users also access different kinds of content. Nearly three-fourths (73%) of Hulu users view primarily TV shows, compared to 11 percent of Netflix users. On the flipside, more than half (53%) of Netflix users watch primarily movies, while 9 percent of Hulu users say the same. About 18% of both Netflix and Hulu users say they watch about the same amount of movies and TV.
The survey was based on 12,000 online interviews in March 2011.
