June 11, 2012
Majority of Tablet Users Watch Video on their Device, 1 in Every 4 Viewers Pay to Watch
comScore Previews Findings from TabLens™, its Forthcoming Syndicated Tablet Measurement Service
RESTON, VA, June 8, 2012 – comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring
the digital world, today released new insights on the U.S. tablet market from comScore
TabLens™, its forthcoming monthly syndicated service providing insights into tablet
ownership and usage. The report found that tablets have quickly reached a
critical mass in the U.S. with 1 in every 4 smartphone owners using tablets
during the three-month average period ending April 2012. The study also found
that tablet users were nearly three times more likely to watch video on their
device compared to smartphone users, with 1 in every 10 tablet users viewing
video content almost daily on their device.
“Tablets are one of the most
rapidly adopted consumer technologies in history and are poised to
fundamentally disrupt the way people engage with the digital world both
on-the-go and perhaps most notably, in the home,” said Mark Donovan, comScore
SVP of Mobile. “It’s not surprising to see that once consumers get their hands
on their first tablet, they are using them for any number of media habits
including TV viewing.”
Tablets Used by 1 in Every 4 Smartphone Owners as Connected
Consumer Becomes a Reality
In just two years since the launch of the iPad, the first
tablet to reach a meaningful market penetration, tablet adoption has exploded
fueled by the introduction of new devices that appeal to various price
and feature preferences. In April 2012, 16.5 percent of mobile phone
subscribers used a tablet, representing an increase of 11.8 percentage points
in the past year. Growth in market penetration was even more apparent among the
smartphone population with nearly 1 in 4 using a tablet device in April, an increase
of 13.9 percentage points in the past year. A lower 10.4 percent of feature
phone owners use a tablet, suggesting that smartphone ownership is highly
predictive of tablet adoption in the current market.
Tablet | |||
| % of Audience that Uses Tablet | ||
Apr-11 | Apr-12 | Point Change | |
Total | 4.7% | 16.5% | 11.8 |
Smartphone | 9.7% | 23.6% | 13.9 |
Feature | 2.3% | 10.4% | 8.1 |
Demographic Profile: Tablet Users Skew Older and Towards
Upper Income Households
A demographic analysis of mobile
device audiences indicated that tablet and smartphone audiences closely
resemble one another in terms of gender composition, with tablet users just
slightly more likely to be female than smartphone users. However, the age composition
of audiences showed that tablet users skewed noticeably older than smartphone
users. For both devices, the heaviest overall audience concentration was
between the ages of 25-44. Compared to smartphone owners, tablet users were 28
percent more likely to be in the 65 and older age segment, and 27 percent less
likely to be age 18-24.
Tablet users also skewed towards upper
income households, likely a function of the high price point of these devices
still considered a luxury good to many consumers. Nearly 3 in 5 tablet users resided
in households with income of $75,000 or greater, compared to 1 in every 2
smartphone users.
Demographic | |||
| % Share of Tablet Audience | % Share of Smartphone Audience | Index of Tablet to Smartphone Audience** |
Total Audience | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100 |
Gender: |
|
|
|
Male | 49.2% | 51.6% | 95 |
Female | 50.8% | 48.4% | 105 |
Age: |
|
| |
13-17 | 7.3% | 6.5% | 112 |
18-24 | 12.3% | 16.9% | 73 |
25-34 | 24.4% | 25.3% | 96 |
35-44 | 21.4% | 21.2% | 101 |
45-54 | 17.8% | 15.7% | 113 |
55-64 | 10.1% | 9.2% | 110 |
65+ | 6.8% | 5.3% | 128 |
Household Income: |
| ||
<$25k | 7.4% | 11.7% | 63 |
$25k to <$50k | 17.7% | 19.5% | 91 |
$50k to <$75k | 18.9% | 19.5% | 97 |
$75k to <$100k | 18.3% | 15.9% | 115 |
$100k+ | 37.7% | 33.4% | 113 |
*comScore defines a media tablet as a touchscreen
tablet device with a slate form factor, a 7 inch or greater screen size and a
data connection, but no voice plan. Single purpose eBook reader devices are
excluded from this definition.
**Index = % of Tablet Audience/%
of Smartphone Audience x 100; Index of 100 indicates average representation
Tablet Audience Nearly 3x as Likely
to Watch Video as Smartphone Users
A closer look at content
consumption on tablets found that more than half of tablet users watched video and/or
TV content on their device in April 2012, compared to just 20 percent of the
smartphone audience, with larger screen sizes making tablets more conducive to
video consumption than their smaller-screen cousins. Not only were tablet users
more likely to watch video, but they were more likely to view video habitually with
18.9 percent of tablet users watching video content at least once a week, and 9.5
percent watching video nearly every day on their device. Of those viewing video at least once during
the month, 1 in 4 (26.7 percent) paid to watch content, highlighting the tremendous
monetization potential this platform represents for content providers.
Video/TV | ||
| Share of Audience that Watched Video/TV on Device | |
% of Tablet Audience | % of Smartphone Audience | |
Ever | 53.0% | 20.0% |
Once | 24.6% | 10.3% |
At | 18.9% | 6.7% |
Almost | 9.5% | 2.9% |
*comScore defines a media tablet as a touchscreen
tablet device with a slate form factor, a 7 inch or greater screen size and a
data connection, but no voice plan. Single purpose eBook reader devices are
excluded from this definition.
About comScore
comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) is a
global leader in measuring the digital world and preferred source of digital
business analytics. For more information, please visit www.comscore.com/companyinfo.
