According to Infonetics Research, pay TV operators are increasingly leaning on second-screen video as a competitive tool, which in turn is changing what equipment they buy as well as how they negotiate with content owners.

• Value-added services like second-screen apps and enhanced DVR capabilities have gained in popularity due to the convergence among smartphones, tablets, and connected TVs.
• For most pay TV providers, the tablet has become the de facto second screen: 47% of respondent operators support tablets as part of their multiscreen service now, and this number is expected to grow to 89% by 2015.
• Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) currently leads video streaming protocols in use by respondents; however, Microsoft's (NASDAQ:MSFT) Smooth Streaming is expected to close in by 2015.
• Among operator respondents, Cisco (NASDAQ:CSCO) is the most familiar vendor of multiscreen video equipment and receives the highest rankings for a variety of criteria.
• Multiscreen is still a relatively new service offering for many pay TV operators, making it necessary for multiscreen equipment vendors to demonstrate the reliability of their products and provide support to customers.