Toronto – The number of
users interested in a multi-screen video service is up from last year,
according to an independent study commissioned by QuickPlay Media, but fear of
cost is still the biggest reason why people won’t try it.
The “2012 Market Tools”
survey reported that 57 percent of respondents are interested in a multi-screen
video service, up from 48 percent in 2011.
Of the respondents, 35
percent said they have tried a mobile TV and/or video service, while 27 percent
said they currently use these services. Seventy-two percent of these current
users have been using it for a year or less, and 81 percent of them said they
watch more than they did a year ago.
For those who haven’t
tried mobile TV service, 32 percent said they thought it would be too
expensive, while 22 percent said they didn’t think their phone would support
it.
The home topped the list
of where users most commonly watch mobile programming (48 percent), followed by
“between activities” (13 percent), at work (10 percent), while in transit (8
percent) and while waiting in line (8 percent).
Nearly two-thirds (63
percent) use their phones for mobile TV/video services, while 33 percent use
tablets.
If a consumer has a
tablet, there’s an excellent chance he’s used it to watch mobile TV or video:
91 percent of tablet owners said they’ve watched a TV program or movie. This is
up from 68 percent in 2011.
In terms of the most
commonly watched content, TV shows came in first, with 38 percent, trailed by
sports (28 percent), news (19 percent), movies (12 percent) and “other” (3
percent).
More respondents preferred
a subscription service (38 percent) for mobile TV and video services over a
pay-per-episode (13 percent) or a pay-per-season (5 percent) payment model.
TV services tied with
over-the-top (OTT) as the primary provider of mobile content, both at 34
percent. Mobile operators were 28 percent, while “other” was 4 percent.
Although nearly half (44
percent) of respondents didn’t care what kind of payment service they had, 38
percent said they preferred a subscription service while 13 percent said they
preferred to pay per episode. Five percent wanted to pay per season.
