Tablets now the main device for watching TV online
David Farnor | On 01, Jul 2014
Tablets have taken over television viewing, according to new research.
The report from Kantar Media, titled futurePROOF, shows that tablets are more likely than smartphones to be used for watching videos online, be it streaming programmes or films on-demand, browsing YouTube or gaming.
Tablets initially presented something of a bizarre addition to the technology market: a device that was not as powerful as a computer and not as mobile as a phone. But as the country turns increasingly towards VOD to catch up on TV, tablet devices that offer bigger screens as well as portability have emerged as the natural partner for streaming.
45 per cent of all British adults now have a tablet, according Kantar Media’s research, a significant rise from 32 per cent just one year ago. Now, more than 4 in 10 live in a home with multiple tablets, which shows how prolific the devices have become. Moreover, they are a central part of home entertainment; just 8 per cent use their tablets out of the hosue every day, while 44 per cent never take theirs outside.
The stats also show that tablets are playing a bigger role in purchasing online: 53 per cent of the 2,000 people surveyed use their device to research products or services, a rise of 9 per cent in the last six months – a promising sign for the transaction video on-demand market.
Apple iPads are still the favoured devices, accounting for 56 per cent of users, but Android users have risen 10 points to 37 per cent in the last six months, while Amazon’s relatively young Kindle Fire range now accounts for 15 per cent.
Trevor Vagg, Director, Kantar Media Custom, comments: “Tablets have rapidly become part of our digital lives, with Christmas sales and cheaper, Android powered devices all contributing to make tablets a ‘need to have’ rather than just a ‘nice to have’. The arrival of cheaper Android based tablets such as Tesco’s Hudl and the Kindle Fire has turned what was a premium device into something that’s much more ubiquitous but also increasingly as personal as the smartphone we use when we are on the go. These shifts open new doors for advertisers in terms of targeted messaging opportunities.”