NEW YORK—Consumers may be interested in watching video on their cellular phones, but few are willing to pay for it.
According to a Jupiter Research report, “Video on Cell Phones,” 11 percent of mobile phones will be video capable this year, and 25 percent of consumers expressed an interest in watching video on their phone.
However, only 1 percent of subscribers said they would be willing to buy a subscription to a video service this year.
“This high level of interest demonstrates that there is market potential,” said Julie Ask, research director at JupiterResearch. “Service providers will need to give consumers context for watching TV on a small screen in order to convert interest into paid subscriptions. Given current consumer resistance to paying, the most plausible business model for carriers to adopt is one that combines paid and ad-supported mobile video subscriptions.”