Home More Adults than Teens Consume Mobile Video

More Adults than Teens Consume Mobile Video

There’s a popular, but apparently unfounded, belief that those who watch videos on their mobile devices are mostly teens. This isn’t the case, says Nielsen in its latest “Three Screen” quarterly report for the first quarter of 2010. More than half (55%) of the mobile video audience is actually adults, it finds, aged 25-49.

And while mobile video viewing on a smartphone still remains a niche activity in comparison to total audience size, its year-over-year growth (51.2%) is impressive.

Mobile Video Stats

For the most part, Nielsen’s Three Screen report tracks TV-viewing habits over time and how people are currently consuming both TV and video in general. These days, however, it also tracks mobile video consumption in addition to the traditional living room TV-watching scenarios.

Some other interesting findings from this latest report include the following:

  • The 20.3 million people who watch mobile video in the U.S. spend on average three hours, 37 minutes each month watching video on a mobile phone.
  • Although the mobile video audience is more than half adults as noted above, the age group watching mobile video for the longest time (as in hours spent) via their smartphones are those aged 12-17. They watch seven hours, 13 minutes per month on average. (Other age groups are as follows: 18-24 – 5:47, 25-34 – 3:15, 35-49 – 2:53, 50-64 – 2:10, over 65 – 1:44)
  • Users aged 25-34 comprise the largest group in the mobile video audience at 29% (Other age groups are as follows: 12-17 – 19%, 18-24 – 15%, 35-49 – 26%, 50-64 – 10%, over 65 – 2%)
  • The mobile video audience contains more males (55%) than females (45%)

Trends to Watch

According to Nielsen, as the penetration of smartphones continues, mobile Internet access will increase as well, as will anytime, anywhere media consumption. Other connected devices, like Apple’s iPad, will help further this trend.

Startups and services hoping to cash in on this growing trend have been popping up on our radar left and right these days. For example:

  • The video search engine blinkx last month launched a mobile service at m.blinkx.com, which works on any phone that can play MP4 files, including the iPhone, Google’s Nexus One, HTC Desire and Magic and Blackberry Bold 9700 devices, according to the company’s news release.
  • A Hulu-Like service from Fox Mobile called Bitbop appeared on Blackberry phones offering content from News Corp, NBC Universal, The Food Network, A&E, CBS, TLC, USA and MTV.
  • Verizon launched V CAST Video on Demand for Android smartphones including the Droid, Droid Eris, Devour, Droid Incredible and Ally. The app provided offers over 230 full-length shows from more than 40 programming providers.
  • Mobile video companies receiving recent funding have included Oonair, a live-video streaming service that secured €2 million in a series A round from bcnHighgrowth; Dilithium Networks, a converged video services provider for wireless Internet and mobile networks that raised $1.5 million of an expected $4 million in equity and debt round; Transpera has raised a $9 million round of financing to advance its mobile video ad network. And that was just this month.
  • Finally, let’s not forget that the Hulu mobile app rumors have appeared yet again. If Hulu ever arrives in mobile form, Nielsen’s next report following its launch is bound to show a dramatic increase in mobile video viewing, we would guess.

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