BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 25, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mobile World Congress 2013 – Now that consumers around the globe are adopting wireless devices at breakneck speed, Rovi set out to understand exactly how consumers in Western Europe and the U.S. are interacting with streaming content on their devices, including how often they use their phones or tablets for video entertainment, what they are viewing, and how satisfied they are with the experience.
The results of Rovi's Consumer Mobile Streaming survey revealed high usage rates among consumers (a majority of respondents reported streaming video to their devices at least two to three times per week), strong appetites for premium video content on mobile devices with users clamoring for more TV shows and movies, and a strong overall passion for mobile streaming, with the average viewing session lasting 30 minutes or longer.
Streaming frequency was highest in Italy, Spain, and the U.S. with 73%, 71%, and 66% of consumers, respectively, streaming video to their tablets 2-3 times a week or more. As for content consumption, tablet users in the U.K. watch the most TV shows (33% of users), while users in the U.S. and Germany (35% and 30%, respectively) view more movies. Mobile phone users across the board were more partial to user-generated content, with anywhere from 31% of users (France) to 47% of users (Italy) saying they watch more user-generated videos than any other type of content, including movies, TV, music videos, news, and Web shows. In addition, nearly half of all respondents have streamed live events such as concerts and sporting contests to their mobile devices.
"The survey results suggest we have clearly entered into a new era of IP-based video services," said Ray DeRenzo, SVP of Marketing for Rovi Corporation. "The entertainment landscape is undergoing a tectonic shift as viewers transition from traditional devices to connected mobile platforms. That fact alone has pushed consumer electronics manufacturers, service providers, the entertainment industry and other businesses to consider new strategies for attracting and retaining customers. For participants in the mobile ecosystem to find success and deliver high-quality experiences, an important first step is to understand exactly how consumers are interacting with video on their devices today."
The Rovi study revealed opportunities to improve and enhance the entertainment experience with new mobile streaming features and functionality as well as greater content access. For example, appearing to highlight a market need for advanced adaptive streaming solutions and new compression standards such as High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), less than 20% of all mobile users rate the visual quality of their streaming video as excellent. Moreover, the majority note features such as quick loading and smooth playback as the most important when watching streaming video. In addition, one of the most desired features requested by consumers was the ability to pause video and then resume play later on the same or a different device.
Finally, mobile device users indicated that video ads (played before, during or after a video) are by far the most effective ad format in helping them retain brand or product information and spurring them to take action. However, they are worried about costs related to streaming video. Approximately half of the respondents say that they limit the amount of video streamed on their mobile phones over cost concerns—and nearly all expressed a belief that they should enjoy free access to TV content on their mobile phones through their cable provider.
Other survey highlights:
- 66% of UK tablet users spend an average of 30 minutes or more viewing streaming media in a single session, the most of any country surveyed. U.S. users rank second at 62%.
- Mobile phone users in Italy reported the shortest streaming media session times at 3-10 minutes on average.
- 93% of U.S. tablet users and 80% of U.S. mobile phone users believe that tablets are a good way to view movies/TV shows.
- French and Italian consumers appear the most dissatisfied with video quality, with approximately 10% rating quality as poor.
- About 80% of all tablet users consume most of their streaming video at home, while only about 15% consume the majority of their video while commuting to work.
- In comparison, only about 50% of all mobile phone users consume most of their streaming video at home, while approximately 35% consume the majority of their video while commuting to work, making mobile phones today's preferred commuting device.
More results from the Rovi survey are available in the Mobile World Congress Edition of Rovi Insights Series available via: http://www.rovicorp.com/insights/index.htm. The latest volume also explores "outside-in development," an approach to product design in which mobile devices drive the personalization and interactivity features that, today, reside on the TV. It also covers in detail the recently approved High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), a new video compression standard that is expected to have a significant impact on mobile video viewing.
About Rovi Corporation (Nasdaq:ROVI)
Rovi powers the discovery, delivery, display and monetization of digital entertainment. With innovative technology solutions for consumer electronics manufacturers, service providers, content producers, advertisers, retailers and websites, Rovi connects people and the entertainment they love. The company holds over 5,000 issued or pending patents worldwide and is headquartered in Santa Clara, California. More information about Rovi can be found at rovicorp.com.
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