uTest “Battle of the TV Networks” Uncovers Nearly 1,000 Bugs in Web and Mobile Apps of NBC, CBS, Fox and ABC

Software Testing Leader Conducts Competition to Compare TV Network Websites Based on Online Video Quality, Ease of Use & Community Features

uTest, the world’s largest software testing marketplace, today announced the results of its TV Networks Bug Battle competition. More than 500 uTesters from 30 countries around the world participated in the quarterly competition, reporting a total of 908 technical, functional and GUI bugs in the web and mobile apps of NBC, CBS, Fox and ABC.

The uTest community of software professionals also ranked the TV Networks for best video quality, usability, community features and TV content & shows. NBC emerged as the leader, followed closely by CBS and Fox, respectively, leaving ABC in fourth (see full uTest Bug Battle report for more details).

Top-Line Findings:

• Nearly 50% of survey respondents chose video quality as the attribute most important to them when evaluating an online TV network. NBC.com scored highest in video quality.
• Ease of use was deemed most important by 33% of the participants, followed by TV content & shows (12%) & community features (5%). CBS.com scored highest in ease of use.
• 70% of respondents watch at least one show online each week, with more than one quarter watching four or more. 7% watch seven or more programs.
• More than 10% of the total reported bugs were found on mobile devices.
• No TV network supports mobile video watching as they rely on Flash (tested on Blackberry, iPhone, Android and other mobile platforms).
• Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities of varying degrees of severity were reported on three out of the four sites.

TV Network Comparison (top-two box score of testers who rated each site as “excellent” or “good”):

Final Bug Battle Results:

NBC.com

• 231 bugs reported
• 29% classified as “showstoppers”

CBS.com

• 207 bugs reported
• 20% classified as “showstoppers”

Fox.com

• 226 bugs reported
• 24% classified as “showstoppers”

ABC.com

• 244 bugs reported
• 25% classified as “showstoppers”

“According to the Nielsen Online Video Census Report, 14.3 million unique viewers watched online videos on the websites of NBC, CBS, ABC and Fox in January of 2010,” said uTest VP of Marketing & Community, Matt Johnston. “This Bug Battle not only compared the four leading TV networks’ sites and mobile apps, it also clearly demonstrated how important video quality is to software-savvy consumers. The uTest community once again showed its ability to quickly mobilize and provide professional testing coverage and usability feedback.”

Detailed results of this study are available at http://www.utest.com/bugbattle/q110/results.