• by Aaron Baar , February 26, 2013

Tablets and smartphones are becoming a go-to source for entertainment, with consumers in the U.S. and Western Europe using their devices to view content at least two to three times a week, at an average of 30 minutes a session.

According to a survey by digital entertainment company Rovi, people in Italy, Spain and the U.S. had the highest streaming frequencies -- with 73%, 71% and 66% of consumers, respectively, streaming videos to their tablets two to three times a week or more. 

About one-third of users in the U.K. used their devices to watch TV shows, while users in the U.S. and Germany (35% and 30%) viewed more movies. In general, mobile phones were used to view more user-generated content, and nearly half of all the respondents have used their devices to watch live events such as concerts or sporting events. 

“We’ve known that intuitively, but this shows [consumers] are streaming just about everything,” Jeff Siegel, senior vice president of worldwide advertising sales, tells Marketing Daily. “It’s easier today, it’s on more devices, and the content’s getting better and better.”

Two-thirds of U.K. tablet users spent an average of 30 minutes or more streaming media in a single session -- the most of any country (the U.S. ranked second with 62%) -- while mobile phone users in Italy had the shortest average streaming sessions at between 3 and 10 minutes. 

Many of these streamers are satisfied with their experiences, with 93% of U.S. tablet users saying the devices were a good way to view movies and TV shows. French and Italian viewers were the most dissatisfied with the video quality, with 10% of consumers rating their video quality as poor. 

About 80% of all tablet users consume their streaming video at home, while 15% watch video while commuting to work. Only about half of mobile phone users consume their streaming video at home, and 35% do so while commuting to work. 

The findings present consumer electronics companies, television and Internet service providers, and entertainment companies an opportunity to develop new strategies to attract and retain customers, Siegel says. “It’s a new world for them,” Siegel says. “They’re working with the retailers and working with the interfaces and they’re starting to educate consumers directly about the power of connected devices.”