As a result of this uptick in video consumption, users who are 25 and younger outperform older age groups in terms of cellular and WiFi data consumption levels generated by video applications. These users consume, on average, 6.2 GB of data (cellular and WiFi combined) for video streaming purposes each month, vs. older smartphone users who use an average of 4.9 GB of data for video streaming monthly.
And while the majority of video streaming occurs over WiFi networks, smartphone users now rely on cellular data more than ever. According to the NPD Smartmeter, an opt-in metering application that tracks live smartphone and tablet usage behavior, the average U.S. smartphone user consumes close to 3 GB of cellular data per month, with video streaming serving as the top application driving that data consumption.
NPD Connected Intelligence Mobility practice research director Brad Akyuz said: "Users are spending more time watching videos on their smartphones than ever before, as the adoption of smartphones that boast larger displays increases. This mobile streaming behavior is further bolstered by the new offerings of wireless operators, such as T-Mobile's Binge On and Verizon Wireless' go90, which run on free sponsored data."