U.S. consumers still prefer TVs over tablets and smartphones for video

Consumers Still Prefer Televisions over Tablets and Smartphones for Video Content

U.S. broadband households spend on average 1.3 hours per week watching video on a tablet and 1.6 hours per week watching video on a smartphone, compared to almost 20 hours per week on the television, according to research Parks Associates announced today in advance of the Cablefax TV Innovation Summit. The research, based on a nationwide 1Q 2014 survey of U.S. broadband households, shows, despite the popularity of mobile platforms, the TV remains the preferred screen for video viewing, while the PC has shown significant declines as a video-viewing platform.

“The percentage of video viewership among tablet households has tripled since 2010, rising from 9% to 28%,” said Glenn Hower, Research Analyst at Parks Associates. “For smartphone households, the percentage of video viewership doubled from 16% in 2010 to 31% in 2014. Increases in multiscreen video viewing are significant, but ultimately neither platform can duplicate the visual experience of the larger TV screen. Successful multiscreen video services need to offer unique services for each platform, complement the content on other screens, and leverage the typical conditions where people use certain devices.”