What鈥檚 worth a mere 35 billion dollars? It could very well be the GNP of a small nation off the coast of the Galapagos or it could be the anticipated revenues of a market we all know and love. Luckily for me, since I鈥檓 more familiar with the market than with Galapagos geography, it鈥檚 global online TV and video revenues that will take over the world by 2018.

Let鈥檚 just say that the $34.99 billion 鈥渕enu鈥?is what the media has been calling 鈥渞ecord breaking,鈥?and this is because of the huge increase in people watch online TV and video in the privacy of their homes. In less than five years, an expected 520 million homes in 40 different countries will watch online TV and video. Big business? You betcha鈥? It鈥檚 a haven for advertisers and it鈥檚 a big boon for mobile device makers too. It鈥檚 the pods, the pads, and the phones that will be replacing the big screen in our living rooms.

All these facts and figures are from the recent 鈥淥nline TV and Video Forecasts鈥?report from Digital TV Research. It鈥檚 a radical look at our industry and how it鈥檚 bubbled over and progressed in just the last few years: a massive increase from the $3.98 billion in 2010 and $15.94 billion expected by end 2013. Then comes the boom and we鈥檙e ready for it. Much of the growth, says the report, is that key players are not only expanding, they鈥檙e all partnering with each other, becoming simply big, rich and powerful 鈥?all at once.

It鈥檚 mostly the OTT (Over The Top) market sector that pulling its weight 鈥?its heavy weight. People are paying for subscriptions and demanding their money鈥檚 worth. Netflix and the like, reign supreme but they鈥檝e also opened up new avenues for digital TV broadcasts on the big (living room) screen and the small (anything mobile) screen. So with revenues in the billions and audiences in the hundreds of millions, the market鈥檚 pretty much proven that TV is here to stay. It鈥檚 a money maker for anyone who鈥檚 willing to jump in and it鈥檚 a medium that will be a mainstay in our daily lives 鈥?forever and ever. Till death do us part. Amen.