Viewers Show Interest in TV on Mobile Devices: Beta Study

By Jon Lafayette
published

The "TV Everywhere" push by cable networks is matched by increased demand by consumers to watch programming on smartphones and tablets.

Interest in viewing television on mobile devices among adults climbed to 31% in 2012 from 22% in 2011, according to a new survey by Beta Research.

Among younger adults, ages 18 to 34, 50% said they were interested in viewing TV on mobile devices, up from 39% a year ago. And among teens 12 to 17, 47% said they were interested in using tablets and mobile phones to watch TV, up from 43%.

Beta said that 19% of adults said they actually viewed TV on a smartphone or tablet in the past 30 days.

The survey was conducted in March, with a national sample of 4,900 multichannel subscribers.

Beta also asked about what digital basic and mid-sized networks viewers were interested in watching. Most getting the highest marks were: National Geographic Channel, ID Investigation Discovery, Nat Geo Wild, Cooking Channel and Science.

Among emerging networks, the top scorers were: Fox Movie Channel, CI, Crime & Investigation Network, Weatherscan, Military History and BBC World News

Jon Lafayette
Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.