Look who owns the streaming video market Apple covets

Anticipating that streaming TV would be big news next Monday at WWDC, Adobe launched what it claims is the most comprehensive study of the new way to watch TV, drawn from half a trillion website visits, 200 billion online video starts and 2.8 billion TV authentications.

They may have jumped the gun. The latest press reports have Apple pushing back the release of both its new Apple TV set-top box and a rumored Apple streaming TV service.

But Adobe’s findings, issued Thursday morning, are a revelation. They show a market that has nearly tripled over the last year and is already dominated by Apple devices. Among the highlights:

Pay or “authenticated” TV — which the industry calls TV Everywhere — grew nearly 300% year over year
Apple devices — iPhones, iPads, Macs and Apple TV — accounted for 62% of those views
Over-the-top boxes, such as Roku, Apple TV and Xbox, saw the biggest share jump, from 6% to 24%
Apple TV doubled its share in just the last quarter — from 5% to 10% — overtaking Roku
iOS grew its share from 43% to 47%, further widening its lead, while Android was flat at 15%
Desktop and mobile browser viewing reached a new low, dropping to 14% from 36% last year
And, bizarrely, Wednesday is the new Thursday — the most popular night to watch authenticated TV

“Apple zealots are digital video zealots,” says Tamara Gaffney, principal analyst with Adobe Digital Index. “One way or another, we may see Apple TV as a critical turning point.”

Below: A pie chart that bears closer scrutiny. It shows some dramatic shifts in TV viewing habits in just one quarter.