Streaming TV isn’t just on TVs anymore. A new study released on Wednesday shows that more than half of adults in the U.S. regularly watch content on devices that aren’t televisions.
According to the new research from the Leichtman Research Group (LRG), 59% of U.S. adults watch video on non-TV devices daily, including mobile phones, home computers, tablets, and e-readers. That number has increased over time, as it was just 18% in 2012, then 43% in 2017, and 55% two years ago.
In addition, the research firm said that younger people are more likely to watch video on a non-TV device, with 83% of those aged 18-34 doing so on a daily basis. LRG also found that 51% of adults watch YouTube on a non-TV every day, and that half of adults watch video on a mobile phone daily, also a number that has risen over time.
“Nearly 60% of adults now watch video on a non-TV device daily,” LRG president and principal analyst Bruce Leichtman said. “This includes half of all adults watching video on a mobile phone every day, up from one-third of adults five years ago.”
While many of these non-TV devices are ideal for users watching video on the go, LRG’s study found that they are just as important to the daily viewing habits of consumers while they are at home as they are at work, while commuting, or anywhere else.
“While non-TV devices provide the ability to watch video anywhere,” Leichtman said, “the most common location for watching video on non-TV devices continues to be in the home. Eighty-two percent of those who watch video on a mobile phone, and 85% of those who watch video on a tablet or eReader, do so at home.”
In addition to how and where audiences were streaming videos, the survey also looked at what consumers were streaming. LRG’s research found that 83% of those surveyed have a subscription to at least one of Netflix, Prime Video, or Hulu, and that nearly two-thirds (64%) have more than one such service. To that end, LRG’s report also indicates that the mean number of subscription video-on-demand/direct-to-consumer services in U.S. households is now 3.6, compared to 2.9 two years ago.