Study: ‘Digital Media Time’ Gravitates to Mobile Apps

Pay TV providers and programmers continue to plow resources into mobile apps that serve up their authenticated video fare, and for good reason. A new comScore study shows people increasingly consume digital media on mobile devices.

More than half (52%) of “digital media time” occurs on mobile apps, while total mobile activity, which factors in mobile browser usage, has eclipsed the 60% mark, with desktop usage accounting for the rest, according to the media usage and measurement specialist’s latest U.S. Mobile App Report.

Total digital media time also climbed 24% over the past year, driven by a 52% surge in mobile app usage. Despite this increased focus on mobile, desktop computer usage still eked out 1% growth.

ComScore added that one-third of all U.S. smartphone owners download at least one app per month, with the average user in this group downloading three apps per month.

TV Everywhere apps are nowhere to be seen in the current crop of top 25 mobile apps, a list that is dominated by Facebook in terms of both audience size and time spent across all age groups. But video-focused apps such as YouTube and Netflix are squarely in the mix, as is The Weather Channel’s mobile app.