In-Stat: Half of Tablet Owners Watching Both TV and Films

New study also projects that 65% of U.S. population will own a smartphone or a tablet by 2015

By George Winslow -- Broadcasting & Cable, 8/31/2011 6:40:14 PM

In a new study that contains a number of important data points for producers, networks and multichannel providers plotting their multiplatform strategies, the research firm In-Stat has found that about half of all tablet owners are watching both feature length films and TV shows on their tablet devices.

Looking at the wider tablet/smartphone universe, In-Stat found that about 86% of tablet and smartphone owners are using them to watch video and nearly 60% of smartphone/tablet owners are viewing over-the-top video at home.

The study also forecasts a growing number of video enabled mobile devices-65% of the U.S. population is project to own a smartphone and/or a tablet by 2015. It also estimates that frequent mobile video users will more than triple over the next five years

The research also highlighted the growing importance of social media in mobile TV viewing. Nearly 50% of 18 to 24-year-old smartphone/tablet owners accessed social networks about TV programs currently being viewed.

Also notable was the finding that households who have purchased these devices tend to have more than one. The average Apple household has four Apple devices, while the average Google Android household has at least two Android devices.

"Tablets, in particular, have become a primary video device, both inside and outside the home," explained Keith Nissen, In-Stat research director in a statement. "By 2015, our research projects that 65% of the US population will own a smartphone and/or tablet. As these devices become a center-point for video engagement and consumption, content providers, device manufacturers, and operators need to support a multiscreen usage model that reflects social interaction, screen interaction, personalization and mobility."