Mobile, tablet TV revenues to hit $9.5bn ‘within four years’

Revenues from mobile and tablet television streaming is set to rocket to almost US$10 billion by 2017, according to a new report.

Streaming and download services on mobile and tablet devices revenues will reach US$9.5 billion within four years, up from US$4.5 billion this year, according to Juniper Research.

“In order to be truly successful in the future, I think we will see players emerge who are prioritising their customers’ preferences; they will do this by utilising cloud technology, allowing consumers to resume playback on different devices, and enabling offline viewing,” said Sian Rowlands, author of the Mobile & Tablet TV Video: Content, Broadcast & OTT Strategies 2013 report.

The key three markets for mobile and tablet TV and video will be North America, Western Europe and the Far East and China, whose combined revenue share will comprise more than 80% of the total. Latin America is also expected to become a key player, with the football World Cup and the Olympics being held in Brazil in 2014 and 2016, respectively.

However, the report warns mobile operators will come under increasingly pressure to improve their network capacity in order to delivery high quality video, while at the same time attracting revenues from usage. Juniper predicts some will leverage new Wi-Fi services to meet the challenge but that others would need to adjust their business models to include OTT strategies or face missing out.