The trend of viewing live and on demand
programming on devices smartphones and tablets is accelerating in the U.K.

76 percent of 18-44 year olds are watching
more TV on these devices than just one year ago, according to research by
QuickPlay Media, video service management specialists.

44 percent of mobile TV viewers prefer to
catch-up with sports, news, and shows like the X-Factor at times that suit them
rather than during the live broadcast.

Global tablet sales to exceed 63 million
units sold in 2011, a 261 percent increase over 2010 which illustrates the
dramatic shift around how, when and where consumers are now watching “live”
television and VOD content on their mobile devices, according to Gartner.

The QuickPlay Media survey, which
questioned respondents across the U.K. on their mobile TV usage and viewing
experience, indicates that the increase in mobile TV consumption is driving a
change in viewing habits.

The majority of respondents (51 percent)
reported having watched a TV programme or film on a mobile device such as a
smartphone or a tablet.

Mobile TV watchers preferred to view on
demand TV (44 percent) compared to 28 percent who preferred to use mobile
devices to watch live programming.

Most consumers watch mobile TV at home, but
39 percent watch TV on mobile devices while commuting.

TV episodes are the most frequently viewed
type of content with nearly 60 percent of respondents indicating that they use
mobile devices to watch TV episodes of shows like X-Factor or Glee, closely
followed by sporting events and news.

Tablet device users watch mobile TV for far
longer time periods than on smartphones – 20 percent of tablet device users
reported having spent more than an hour of uninterrupted time watching a TV
programme or a movie.

Mobile TV users are regular viewers with 33
percent of respondents reporting they watch at least once per week and 12
percent viewing almost every day.

As more consumers watch mobile TV, the
demand for higher quality and a wider range of services is on the rise with
over 75 percent of respondents stating they would like their service provider
to invest more in their mobile TV services.

“We’re in the midst of a massive
transformation of the way consumers watch TV and movies,” said Mark Hyland, VP
of Sales and Marketing for QuickPlay Media.

“The explosive growth of tablets is driving
a tremendous demand for service providers to increase the amount of premium
mobile content they offer to their subscribers. As a result, we are seeing a
growing number of companies turning to managed video service providers such as
QuickPlay as a cost effective way to securely deliver these services and
enhance the quality of the video viewing experience,” Hyland added.

By Telecomlead.com Team
[email protected]