Streamed content on mobile TV apps reaches record audience numbers

SAN JOSE, Calif., June 4 (UPI) -- The number of people viewing streamed content on their mobile TV apps has grown dramatically, seeing a 57 percent gain over the same time last year.

According to a report released by Adobe Digital Index, the marketing and research arm of Adobe, mobile video viewership was up 57 percent, while overall video viewership was up 43 percent.

An interesting finding in the report is that TV Everywhere -- a term used for the authenticated viewing of shows from cable or satellite networks -- is growing exponentially, registering a 246 percent gain year over year, with nearly 21 percent of U.S. households using the technology. TV Everywhere is growing faster than other video streaming services such as YouTube, Hulu and Daily Motion.

"Over one in five households are watching TV Everywhere content," said Tamara Gaffney, an Adobe Digital Index analyst. "That's really beyond early adopter."

TV Everywhere apps include the very popular HBO Go, standalone channel apps like Watch ESPN, Cartoon Network, CNBC, Syfy and similar offerings. Cable providers also have their own offerings such as Comcast's Xfinity TV Go, Time Warner Cable's TWC TV and Dish Anywhere.

TV Everywhere is liked by content providers as it encourages users to keep their cable subscriptions, which are ad-rich and allow users to view content they have already paid for.

When it comes to mobile TV viewing, iOS apps continue to dominate the market with a 43 percent share of TV Everywhere apps. They are followed by Internet browsers, Android apps and gaming consoles. Unexpectedly, children are leading the charge when it comes to viewing TV Everywhere. Over 80 percent of children viewing such content used iOS apps.