A new study has found that online digital video distribution is now reaching more portable devices than ever before as this new generation of mobile media technology moves an increasing amount of television viewing outside of the home.
In-Stat, a research firm based in Scottsdale, Arizona, has reported that fifty percent of tablet owners are now viewing both television programming and motion pictures on their portable devices. Tablet and smart phones are not only becoming vital new screens for video consumption, but are also functioning as personal interaction devices for video-centric social networking and applications.
“Tablets, in particular, have become a primary video device, both inside and outside the home,” said Keith Nissen, research director at In-Stat. “By 2015, our research projects that 65 percent of the U.S. population will own a smartphone and/or tablet.
“As these devices become a center-point for video engagement and consumption, content providers, device manufacturers and operators need to support a multiscreen usage model that reflects social interaction, screen interaction, personalization and mobility,” he said.
The research found that frequent mobile video users will more than triple over the next five years. Nearly half of 18 to 24-year-old smartphone and tablet owners frequently social network about TV programs currently being viewed — a major new development in how people view television.
Eighty-six percent of smartphone and tablet users will view video on their mobile devices,
while nearly 60 percent of smartphone and tablet owners will also be viewing OTT (over-the-top) video at home.
The average Apple household will have four Apple devices, while the average Google Android household will have at least two Android devices, the study found.
