According to a study from the Streaming Video Alliance, mobile video plays a critical role in the transformation of television and increasingly influences how people consume video content due to its ease of use and accessibility. The study indicated that 40% of people surveyed watch an hour or more of video on their smartphone each week, and 25% watch more than 2 hours.
Conducted by the Streaming Video Alliance, the report was based on a survey of 500 respondents in the United States. Findings indicate:
- Apple iOS is the dominant mobile operating system through which consumers watch video, while Android is a close second.
- Millennials are watching more video on mobile than other demographics and tend to stream video [http://www.broadbandtechreport.com/video/streaming-video.html] from applications. They are also more likely to watch mobile video if they don't have to pay for additional data.
- Consumers are most often watching video on their phone while at home, indicating that under certain circumstances people would rather watch video on mobile than on the TV set.
- Despite the growth of premium OTT providers, YouTube is the dominant source for video on mobile phones.
- Buffering and data usage are the top frustrations for mobile video watching.
- Consumers prefer to watch video over WiFi but will use cellular data to get the content they want when WiFi is not available.
- If consumers had access to more data, they would watch more video on mobile; however, they do not want to pay for it.
"The trend toward mobility has consumers watching more content away from primary televisions, which is playing an important role in the evolving television experience," said Jason Thibeault, executive director, Streaming Video Alliance. "This year's Mobile Video report strongly validates this trend and reveals how mobile is beginning to supplement other connected devices to consumer content, triggering organizations to begin thinking more about mobile as part of their overall viewing experience."