Video-on-demand (VOD) services are succeeding in meeting consumer needs, thus allowing consumers to change their viewing habits.
That's one of the biggest takeaways from the Ericsson ConsumerLab TV & Media Report 2015, which shows consumers embracing VOD like never before.
The report is based on interviews with over 22 500 people. Interviews were undertaken with consumers aged 16-59 and 60-69, across 20 markets - Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Portugal, Russia, Spain, South Korea, Sweden, Taiwan, Turkey, UK, Ukraine and the US.
According to the report, consumers now spend six hours per week watching streamed on-demand TV series, programmes, and movies - this has more than doubled since 2011. With recorded and downloaded content added to the equation, today 35% of all TV and video viewing is watched on-demand, says Ericsson.
Further findings highlight the considerable growth in consumers watching video on a mobile device: 61% watch on their smartphones today, an increase of 71% since 2012. When taking tablets, laptops, and smartphones into consideration, nearly two-thirds of time spent by teenagers' watching TV and video is on a mobile device, the report states.
At the same time, it adds, user-generated content (UGC) platforms account for a growing share of consumers' TV and video viewing.
Close to one in 10 consumers watch YouTube for more than three hours per day, and one in three now consider it very important to be able to watch UGC on their TV at home. In addition, the study finds that the increasing prominence of UGC-rich platforms, like YouTube, has resulted in a popularity boost for educational and instructional videos, with consumers watching an average 73 minutes of these videos per week.
"The continued rise of streamed video on-demand and UGC services reflects the importance of three specific factors to today's viewers - great content, flexibility, and a high-quality overall experience," says Anders Erlandsson, senior advisor, Ericsson ConsumerLab.
"Innovative business models that support these three areas are now crucial to creating TV and video offerings that are both relevant and attractive."
The study also found that watching multiple TV episodes in a row has rapidly become a key part of the TV and video experience. This habit is prominent among subscription VOD users of services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, and HBO, of whom 87% binge-view at least once a week.
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