NPD: 57% of Smartphone Users Stream Video

1 Nov, 2017

About 57% of U.S. smartphone users access video content once a month — with Apple iOS users more likely (66%) than Android users (49%) to access video content, according to The NPD Group.

Due in part to YouTube and Netflix, streaming video is the number one driver of cellular and wireless data consumption on mobile and fixed networks, accounting for 78% of the total data used by smartphone owners.

According to NPD, citing data from panel research from 5,355 domestic adult consumers, YouTube is the top-ranking video app for both iOS and Android users, with 45% of smartphone users accessing the app on a monthly basis.

Netflix has the second-highest usage rate, with 18% of users launching the app monthly. Notably, iOS smartphone users are more likely to access Netflix, with nearly 25% using this app within a given month, compared with only 10% of Android users.

“Access to content is becoming a key differentiator for carriers, in addition to unlimited data plans that allow consumers to watch OTT video at home and on the go. As the installed base of smartphones with large displays grows, we expect mobile video data consumption will do the same,” Brad Akyuz, director, industry analyst for NPD, said in a statement.

In addition to growing mobile video consumption, consumers are also looking to their TV-connected devices to stream content.
NPD said increases in streaming video consumption are due to 57 million domestic households owning a TV-connected device (which includes Blu-ray Disc players, video gram consoles and connected TVs), up from 50 million in 2016.

“Through partnerships with content providers like Netflix and DirecTV, mobile carriers are extending their reach into the consumer’s living room,” said John Buffone, executive director, industry analyst at NPD. “As mobile carriers continue to bundle access to content and remove barriers, such as data limitations, video usage both at home and on the go will continue to thrive.”