How Do We Watch TV?

With the rise of mobile technology, the face of entertainment has radically changed in the past few years. In a short period, the trend has shifted from buying bigger and bigger HD flat screens to streaming your entertainment on the go. Here is a quick look at how media and entertainment are exploring new outlets.

Media on the Go

A recent global report from InMobi uncovered that outside the United States and Britain time spent with [tp lang=”en” only=”y”]mobile media[/tp][tp not_in=”en”]mobile media[/tp] surpasses that of television viewing time. And in the US and worldwide, mobile media time also exceeds that spent on PC Internet.

The average mobile web user consumes roughly six hours of media each day. This includes time spent doing the following:

• Using a mobile phone for 97 minutes
• Watching TV for 81 minutes
• Surfing online via desktop or laptop for 70 minutes
• Listening to the radio for 44 minutes
• Using a tablet for 37 minutes
• Reading magazines and newspapers for 33 minutes

And much of this time is spent doing simultaneous activities. For example, 61 percent of mobile Internet use happens on a device while the user is also watching TV. And in the US, this seems even more pronounced. About 84 percent of mobile device use happens while watching television. In essence, “‘smartphone and tablet owners say they use their devices as second-screens while watching TV at the same time.’”

What are people doing on their small screens while watching on the big screen? Half on the time is devoted to social networking on sites like Facebook and Twitter. Coming in close second at just over 40 percent is text messaging. After that comes game playing, listening to music, looking up information about products on TV or the show being watched and online shopping.

TV at Home

So although time spent with mobile devices wins out, most shows are still enjoyed on the television screen. In America, reports MarketingLand.com, “TV is still the top screen.” However, there are some changes happening with how viewers access their favorite channels and shows.

More and more people are “[tp lang=”en” only=”y”]cutting the cord[/tp][tp not_in=”en”]cutting the cord[/tp]” and switching from traditional cable or satellite service in favor on online streaming. Popular sites like Netflix, Hulu and [tp lang=”en” only=”y”]Amazon Prime[/tp][tp not_in=”en”]Amazon Prime[/tp]

allow for streaming TV shows straight through your computer. Many of these sites work on a subscription basis that is much less than the monthly cable fee. The potential downside is waiting a week or more for new shows to show up on streaming sites. But the flipside of this is that sites like Netflix allow for watching entire seasons at a time for a different experience.

Some television providers are experimenting with combinations of both streaming and live feed services. Companies [tp lang=”en” only=”y”]Durango Colorado Direct TV[/tp][tp not_in=”en”]Durango Colorado Direct TV[/tp] combine packages of customers’ favorite channels along with DVR and mobile streaming abilities. More and more providers are experimenting with blends of mobile and traditional TV.

As the impact of mobile continues to grow, it will remain fascinating to watch (no pun intended) which outlets and devices media shows up on.