Streaming TV and Movie Services Ranked by Mobile User Satisfaction

August 6, 2013

This article is included in these additional categories:

Digital | Media & Entertainment | Mobile Phone | Sports

ForeSee-Mobile-Media-Experiences-by-Satisfaction-Aug2013Mobile video consumption is growing rapidly, and video streaming applications are accounting for a large portion of smartphone and tablet data consumption. User satisfaction with mobile media entertainment sites and apps (77 on a 100-point scale) outpaces satisfaction among those accessing the services via PC (67), according to new data [download page] from ForeSee. So which streaming TV and movie services prove most satisfying to mobile users?

The leader in streaming TV and movies is iTunes, according to the report, achieving a mobile satisfaction rating of 80, the threshold for excellence, and outpacing the category average of 78. But iTunes benefits from a different model than its competitors in the category, as users download the content before viewing. Given that the study finds performance to be the primary driver of satisfaction, it’s understandable that iTunes gets a leg up from its ability to bypass issues such as playback problems and slow page loads.

Just behind iTunes, Netflix and HBO GO are tied with a score of 79, both slightly ahead of Amazon Instant Video (78), one of the few Amazon services not to lead a ForeSee index.

While the top services are only separated by a couple of points, they do have some separation from 2 other services. Crackle and the more popular Hulu Plus both achieved a user satisfaction rating of 75, not in itself a bad mark, but nevertheless somewhat behind the leaders.

Fox Tops Mobile Sports, News Experiences

The ForeSee study also measured user satisfaction with mobile sports and news sites and applications. Among sports sites and apps, Fox Sports enjoyed the highest user satisfaction, at 79, ahead of a group (Bleacher Report, ESPN, Sports Illustrated) tied at 77. CBS Sports (75) and Yahoo! Sports (74) both lagged the category average of 77.

Meanwhile, Fox News and NBC News shared top billing among news sites and apps, each with a user satisfaction score of 79. CBS News had the lowest score among the 10 sites and apps surveyed, with an index score of 73.

Other Findings:

  • Respondents were most satisfied with their streaming services when accessing them via their home Wi-Fi connection (78) and least when accessing them via a a public Wi-Fi (73).
  • Only 1 in 5 respondents said they could trust the content on the mobile news site or app they visited.
  • Satisfied users of mobile news, sporting and streaming TV and movie sites and apps were 80% more likely to use the mobile channel as their primary resource than those who were not satisfied with their experiences. They were also 72% more likely to give positive recommendations and 58% more likely to repeat their use of the mobile channel.
  • A slight majority access the content from home, compared to just 9% who do so on the go.
  • While respondents were more likely to use mobile sites (66%) than apps (34%) for the media and entertainment categories surveyed, the app users were slightly more satisfied (80 vs. 78) overall.
  • The satisfaction ratings found for various media and entertainment apps often deviated from their app store ratings.

About the Data: The ForeSee Mobile Satisfaction Index analyzes mobile customer satisfaction scores, impacts, future behaviors, and other key findings through the eyes of the consumer. The latest report concentrates exclusively on the 22 top U.S. news, sports, and streaming companies.

More than 5,500 surveys were collected from visitors to these 22 companies’ mobile sites and apps on smartphones and tablets from June 5-14, 2013. The study was conducted using a consumer panel. All scores are on a 100-point scale.

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