Online Consumers Watching as Much Video on Computers as on TV

NEW YORK: Global video consumption on in-home computers ranks as high as TV usage for online consumers, according to Nielsen’s new multi-screen media survey.

According to the report, Global Online Consumers and Multi-Screen Media: Today and Tomorrow, more than 80 percent of Internet respondents in 56 countries reported watching video content at home on a computer (84 percent) or on TV (83 percent) at least once a month. In 2010, however, more online consumers were watching video content on TV (90 percent) than on a computer (86 percent) in a month-long period.

The in-home TV and computer are still the most popular devices for watching video, but the usage and growth in online and mobile technologies is having an impact. Of respondents, 74 percent said they watch video video the internet on any device, up four percentage points since 2010. Over half of global online consumers (56 percent) say they watch video on a mobile phone at least once month (16 percent say at least once a day).

The Asia-Pacific (74 percent) and Middle East/African (72 percent) regions are where mobile viewing is particularly prominent for monthly usage. In North America, mobile video is currently less prominent than in other parts of the world, but the region is seeing the highest growth rates in mobile phone video consumption. Of North American respondents, 38 percent say they watch mobile video once a month, up 8 percentage points from the 2010 results. 

“The convenience of mobile connectivity has revolutionized how people are engaging with digital content and each other around the world,” said Dounia Turrill, the senior VP of client insights at Nielsen. “With the growth of smartphones, mobile video consumption is on the rise for entertainment content, particularly in emerging markets where many consumers leapfrog home Internet altogether in favor of the all-in-one smartphone.”