Mobile Video Frustrations Are on the Rise: 88% Report Issues
Mobile video streamers are more frustrated than ever. It's not that streaming quality is getting worse, but that expectation are rising.
According to a report from mobile video software company Penthera 88% of mobile streamers in the U.S. experienced some kind of frustration. That's up from 81% in 2018. The most common causes of frustration are rebuffering in the middle of play (59%), videos that take too long to start playing (48%), and advertisements (48%).
These frustrations crop up often, with 32% of respondents saying they experience them 25 to 50% of the time. The next largest group (28%) say they experience frustrations up to 25% of the time.
Viewers have high expectations for video, even on mobile devices. When 56% of viewers experience some type of frustration they give up and try again later. Additionally, 18% will stop using that video service, 7% will cancel their subscription, and 7% will write a bad review in the app store.
"The number of consumers relying on OTT services and using mobile apps to enjoy video has increased significantly since last year. As a result, more consumers than ever are streaming video using their mobile devices, including, as our survey shows, 69% on a weekly basis," says Daniel Taitz, COO of Penthera. "So, it isn't surprising that the percentage of consumers watching video on-the-go that experience frustrations due to poor connectivity is also increasing."
To avoid problems from live streaming, 69% would like a subscription option that automatically downloads the next episodes of their favorite shows to their mobile device.
Penthera's results come from an online survey of 800 adults in the U.S. Download the full report for free (registration required).
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