Adobe launches ‘Primetime’ TV Everywhere service, points out we’re watching a ton more video

We’ve been hearing about the notion of “TV Everywhere” — having paid television content available on multiple screens and devices — for years now, but it’s typically been difficult for broadcasters to offer something that complex. With the official launch of PrimeTime, Adobe’s solution for delivering TV Everywhere services, that could finally change.

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Adobe announced today at the NAB conference that it’s officially making Primetime available to more providers. Formerly known as “Project Primetime,” the service mostly notably powered the apps and online video coverage for the London 2012 Olympics. Adobe also announced today that Comcast is using Primetime for its Xfinity apps, and NBC is using it for a variety of sports broadcasts.

Primetime is  a combination of Adobe’s video player, advertising, DRM, and analytics technologies, making it easy for content owners to deliver video while also monetizing it. Some companies have managed to develop their own TV Everywhere solutions, but Primetime will remove much of the headache (and cost) of the TV Everywhere process for others.

In its U.S. Digital Video Benchmark Report for 2012, also released today, Adobe points out that TV Everywhere consumption grew a whopping 12x compared to 2011. Mostly, that’s due to more content being made available, especially when it comes to sports, according to Tamara Gaffney, Adobe’s senior marketing manager for its Digital Video Index.

Additionally, Adobe found that mobile video consumption grew massively over the past year: tablet consumption increased by 360 percent, while phone consumption increased by 300 percent. Also worth noting, Gaffney says that mobile video account for 70 percent of TV Everywhere viewing.

Not surprisingly, social media was a big part of digital video’s growth in 2012. Adobe found that socially-referred videos are more likely to be completed, compared to videos consumers simply stumble on. Social engagement with videos also grew to 70 percent from 42 percent. (Check out more social stats below.)

“We started off thinking about video, but very quickly we realized you couldn’t think about video without social, and you can’t think about video and social without mobile … it’s a trifecta,” Gaffney said in an interview with VentureBeat

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Tablet user photo via Shutterstock