People in China watch half as much television each day as Americans, but they are more likely to catch video on computer or mobile phones, according to new research. The study, from Nielsen, looked into the technology habits of some 27,000 online consumers in 55 countries in March. Mobile video viewing is much more common […]
People in China watch half as much television each day as Americans, but they are more likely to catch video on computer or mobile phones, according to new research. The study, from Nielsen, looked into the technology habits of some 27,000 online consumers in 55 countries in March.
Mobile video viewing is much more common in Asian and Pacific countries than it is in the United States or Europe. The Chinese are 51 percent more likely to watch mobile video than people elsewhere in the world, while Americans are 55 percent less likely, the study said.
10/08/2010
Nielsen executive Matt O’Grady suggested it’s primarily because fewer citizens in these Asian countries have access to a large number of cable channels.
A far greater percentage of Americans than Chinese have an extensive number of cable television channels in their homes, said Matt O’Grady, a senior vice president at Nielsen.
“It’s forcing them to have another access point,” O’Grady said.
The typical American watched more than five hours of TV each day in March.
Americans, on average, watched five hours and four minutes of TV each day in March, behind only Serbia and Macedonia, Nielsen said. The average Chinese resident watched two hours, 36 minutes of TV each day, the study said. Thailand, at 2:11, had the fewest hours of TV watching.
Homes in the United States are among the most likely to have high-definition television. More than half of American homes with TV have high-definition sets, Nielsen said.
People in China and Hong Kong are the most apt to watch video on computers at work, Nielsen said. Meanwhile, U.S. residents are 40 percent less likely than their counterparts across the world to watch at work.
Saudi Arabians and Pakistanis are at least twice as likely as others in the world to own tablet computers or say they’re going to buy them shortly, the survey said.
In the U.S., home of Apple and its iPad, people are nearly 20 percent less interested in the devices.
“At the beginning of 2010, analysts aplenty were speaking about the tablet and a screen void it would fill between TV, PC and mobile,” Nielsen said. “With the successful introduction of the iPad, it is clear to many that this technology has arrived. What is less clear is consumer interest in filling that screen void.”
The United States–where TVs are in buses, taxis, bars, retail outlets and just about every public place imaginable–actually ranked 11th in reach at 97.2 percent.
Taiwan placed tops, where TV reaches 99.4 percent of households. Greece, Philippines, Mexico, Indonesia, Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia, Hungary and Australia all had greater TV penetration than the United States.
The United States placed much higher in terms of average daily viewing times. People here watched TV an average of 5 hours and 4 minutes a day. Only folks in Serbia and Macedonia watched more.
“In an era of multiple viewing options, new technology has kept the living room relevant. In-home television remains the most widely used video screen around the world,” Nielsen’s study said. Globally, 90 percent of online consumers use their in-home television at least once per month.”
Around a third of all respondents had adopted HDTV: “Ownership indexes highest amongst adults 55 to 59–a critical age at which consumers have the disposable income and more time to enjoy the finer things in life,” Nielsen said. ”High-definition TV adoption should continue at a steady pace. Globally, 11 percent of consumer told us they had definite interest in acquiring one in the next year.”
Two-thirds of the 27,000 said they watched video online. Usage was highest in China, Indonesia and the Philippines.
Mobile video consumption varied most widely among measured platforms. Globally, 11 percent of Nielsen’s respondents watched TV or video on a mobile phone in March. Men were more likely than women to use mobile video, and younger folks indexed higher than the oldsters.
Europe and North America lag in mobile video adoption by 55 percent, Nielsen said, while Asia-Pacific online consumers are 45 percent more likely to use mobile video.
“Often the lag of mobile media adoption in North America and Europe is attributed to the advanced mobile cultures in comparative markets, but… the proliferation of other screen choices also impacts relative mobile video consumption,” the firm said. “Slower mobile video adoption in North America and Europe may as much be attributed to the technological advancement and ubiquity of other screens… as it is to the proliferation of mobile technology in more advanced mobile media markets.”
Internet-connected TV trumped 3DTV in popularity. Nearly one in five polled folks–22 percent–said they had a broadband-enabled TV set or intended to buy one.
“Today, much of the content these consumers will access through their connected TVs will be through a walled garden: Widgets and apps that make video clips, sports scores, social networks and streaming music available in limited ways,” Nielsen said. “As connected TVs open up, though, the availability of full Web content and streaming video on the household’s largest, best screen could blur the line between TV and PC.”
To view the full report (in PDF format) click here.
