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• Markus Bäckström
• 24 February 2010

[News] Mobile viewers watching favourite TV shows in prime time

BBC iPlayer figures provide revealing snapshot

The technology may have changed, but tech-savvy consumers still watch their favourite TV shows on mobile phones at the same times as they used to watch TV, with a healthy dose taking the BBC iPlayer to bed at weekends.

The BBC, which has provided a revealing snapshot into how consumers are using BBC iPlayer on their mobiles to watch TV, found that peak time viewing is about 9.30pm.

The prime time period for evening mobile viewing runs from about 7.30pm to 11pm across the week, a similar pattern to the viewing habits of people watching on a television. The BBC is keen to learn more about the trend and is contemplating research into the pattern. The corporation also found that mobile TV watching is lower on Friday and Saturday evenings when the younger people are likely to be out socializing.

Weekend mornings, when users are having a lie-in, have also proved to be a hit for the iPlayer on mobiles with a significant bump in viewing between 7am and 10am. The BBC said that, overall, Sunday is the most popular day for watching catch-up TV on mobiles.

The BBC did not provide any figures on how many shows are being viewed by mobile. Numbers are thought to be relatively small, but growth is expected to be high as the iPlayer has jumped from being available on four to 22 devices in a year.

Source: Guardian