• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, August 15, 2013

According to new research from ForeSee, highlighting 22 top U.S. streaming video, sports and news companies, customers prefer consuming media and entertainment websites via mobile devices on personal computers. User satisfaction with mobile media and entertainment sites and apps scores 77 on the study’s 100-point scale, vs. 67 in a similar study conducted in April. The study shows iTunes on Top; HBO GO and Netflix Outperform Amazon’s Offering; NBC News and Fox News Offer the Best in News; FOX Sports Beats ESPN on Mobile

 Larry Freed, president and CEO of ForeSee, says “… with the fast consumer adoption of smartphones and tablets… the mobile platform is at least as important as the desktop web environment… (but)  hese mobile benchmark scores suggest there is much work to be done… “
Streaming media is growing, and the streaming TV and movies category is the best scoring category at 78, says the report. Apple’s iTunes scores the highest of any measured company in the study, using a slightly different model than its streaming counterparts to secure a score of 80. iTunes customers download content before viewing, setting the service apart from its true streaming competitors.

Netflix, transforming itself from a DVD delivery company to a streaming media and content development powerhouse, ties HBO GO at 79 and has nearly as many subscribers as HBO. Amazon’s streaming service isn’t as successful as its online retail operation. Amazon Instant Video registers 78, while Hulu Plus and Crackle lag further behind at 75.

Eric Feinberg, Senior Director of Mobile, Media and Entertainment, observes that “… Netflix may be the most disruptive and innovative company in the space… the company knows that it’s only as good as the content it can deliver… it goes… into HBO’s turf to develop quality original content worthy of Emmy nominations… Amazon is what Netflix used to be… dipping its toes into the water by offering Instant Video to its Prime members…”

The study finds that performance is the main driver of satisfaction for streaming websites and apps. Consumers are most satisfied when accessing content with their home Wi-Fi connection (78), and least satisfied when using streaming media on public Wi-Fi (73). 

Streaming TV and Movies Satisfaction
	Satisfaction Index
Average	78
iTunes	80
HBO GO	79
Netflix	79
Amazon Instant Video	78
Crackle	75
Hulu Plus	75
Source: ForeSee, August 2013

Sports mobile sites and apps score 77 in aggregate, with scores as low as 74 and as high as 79. Though ESPN is often considered the leader in sports coverage, it is in a three-way tie for second with Sports Illustrated and Bleacher Report, scoring 77. Fox Sports leads the category at 79. The most satisfied group in the sports category is comprised of customers who reported to frequently view ads, registering 81 in satisfaction, the highest among the three media and entertainment categories.

“ESPN is the 800-pound gorilla of sports coverage… Fox Sports… has plenty of marketing muscle… with the impending launch of Fox Sports1, and a more unified mobile strategy… “ said Feinberg.

Streaming Sports Satisfaction
Sports	Satisfaction Index
Average	77
Fox Sports	79
Bleacher Report	77
ESPN	77
Sports Illustrated	77
CBS Sports	75
Yahoo! Sports	74
Source: ForeSee, August 2013

Satisfaction with the mobile sites and apps for news organizations scores 77 to match the aggregate score for Media and Entertainment. Satisfaction with mobile news sites represents the largest spread of scores of all three categories measured in the study, with CBS News scoring the lowest at 73. Trust seems to be a factor when it comes to user satisfaction.  According to the study, only 20% of those surveyed strongly agree they could trust the content on the news mobile site or app they visited.

Mobile Site News Satisfaction
News	Satisfaction Index
Average	77
Fox News	79
NBC News	79
Google News	78
Reuters	78
USA Today	78
Wall Street Journal	78
CNN.com	76
ABC News	74
Yahoo! News	74
CBS News	73
Source: ForeSee, August 2013

Summary of Key Findings

• Satisfied users of mobile news, sports and streaming TV, and movie sites and apps report they are 80% more likely to use the mobile channel as a primary resource, 72% more likely to give positive recommendations, and 58% more likely to use the mobile channel again
• 52% of those surveyed are accessing news, sports, and streaming mobile sites and apps from home, as opposed to only 9% who do so on the go
• App store ratings for the measured sites do not always match scientifically calculated satisfaction scores
• 65% of those surveyed reported using a smartphone for their last mobile media and entertainment experience, compared to 35% who did so on a tablet
• More survey respondents used mobile sites (66%) than apps (34%), but app users are generally more satisfied (78 vs. 76)

For more information from ForeSee, please visit here.