The advent of smartphones and accompanying high-speed wireless data plans and in-home Wi-Fi has created a platform from which viewers can access their content within and outside of their homes. But according to a new TDG study, usage depends on viewer type.
In its latest study on U.S. TV SVOD users, TDG found that TV SVOD Streamers (TSSs) average 7.3 hours/week of smartphone video viewing.
TDG created TSSs segments by comparing them on different variables against ABUs in general and other TSSs segments in particular.
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The research firm’s index to ABUs compared the number/percentage of one group (the one being studied) with that of another (the base group) such that it identifies the percent difference between the two groups at a glance.
TDG identified four TV SVOD Streamers (TSSs) segments that emerged from its cluster analysis:
- Pay TV substituters: As the smallest portion of the study, the pay TV substituters group, which makes up 10% of the users surveyed, spent the most time watching SVODs on TV and was less likely to subscribe to a traditional pay TV service.
- Pay TV supplementers: This is the largest segment, which makes up 34% of the respondents. Supplementers spend the least time among all segments watching SVODs on TV and have made live broadcast their first choice to get TV content.
- Video luddites: In this category, viewers spend less time than TSSs watching SVOD on TV because they watch very little video overall. Whether it’s broadcast or streaming, video luddites ranked lowest (33%) in terms of video viewing.
- Quantum viewers: Quantum viewers, which make up 23% of the TSS segment, spend less time watching SVODs on TV. This group is more likely to spend more time watching SVODs on non-TV devices like smartphones.
Out of these four segments, QV users topped all segments, streaming smartphone video 12.8 hours/week with 46% in the top quartile. Substituters trailed with 8 hours/week and 30% top quartile.
In contrast, Luddites and supplementers spent the least amount of time streaming video on their smartphones (5.2 and 5.4 hours/week). TDG noted that 32% of Luddite smartphone users reported watching no streaming video on a weekly basis.
In terms of video viewing locations, TDG said that the in-home/out-of-home split in tablet video viewing is relatively the same among all the segments, ranging from 34%-39%.
“While Luddites are [the] segment that most values the in-home mobile viewing offered by smartphones (53% vs. 48% TSSs), QVs are most likely to use them because of the ease of using online video services on smartphones and the personal viewing experience offered by them.”
So what kind of content are these groups consuming on their smartphone devices?
TDG found that TSS smartphone users had a higher proclivity than ABUs to watch SVOD, sports programs and TVOD than ABUs.
Within the TSS segment, viewers liked to watch short clips on at least weekly basis. This trend was greatest among QVs at 77%, least among supplementers at 65%.
TDG also found that substituters were equally likely to watch short clips and SoMo video (~81%) at least weekly.
Supplementer and Luddite smartphone streamers were below average when it comes to viewing just about every type of smartphone video.