Video-on-Demand services are changing consumers viewing habits, with 35% of all TV and video now being streamed.
The latest edition of Eircsson’s ConsumerLab TV & Media report also found a considerable growth in consumers watching video on a mobile device, with 61% now watching on their smartphones. This represents an increase of 71% since 2012.
Teenagers’ viewing habits have been significantly impacted by the ease of access to tablets, laptops and smartphones. Almost two thirds of their time spent watching TV and video is taking place on a mobile device.
User-generated content now accounts for a growing share of consumers viewing, with YouTube being watched for more than three hours a day by around 10% of people.
The platform, along with others, is also helping to increase the popularity of educational and instructional videos, with consumers now watching an average 73 minutes of these videos per week.
Anders Erlandsson, senior advisor, Ericsson ConsumerLab, said: "The continued rise of streamed video on demand and UGC services reflects the importance of three specific factors to today’s viewers: great content, flexibility, and a high-quality overall experience.
"Innovative business models that support these three areas are now crucial to creating TV and video offerings that are both relevant and attractive."
Additional findings saw that binge watching is changing the TV and video industry. As 87% of consumers now binge watch services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime at least once a week.
The rise of these subscription VOD services could be contributing to the finding that half of consumers watching linear TV say they can’t find anything to watch, on a daily basis.
Although this finding may suggest a move away from linear TV, the report actually found that its popularity remains high due to the access it gives to premium viewing and live content like sports, as well as its social value.
The report is based on interviews with 22,500 people, with findings representative of 680 million consumers.
