If you fi nd yourself clicking on a mouse to get to video content just as often as you do on a remote control, you are not in the minority. Among consumers who are existing Internet users (“online consumers”), watching video content on computers has become just as popular as watching video content on television, according to Nielsen.

84% of online consumers reported watching video content at home on a computer at least once a month, compared to television’s 83%. This is in contrast to statistics from 2010, when more online consumers reported watching video content on television (90%) than on a computer (86%) in a month-long period. Also, the report reveals that more than three in ten online consumers watch video content more than once a day via a home computer, while less than three out of ten people in this group watch television as frequently. This could be due to the popularity of highspeed internet connections as well; 73% of global online consumers report that they either already own a computer with a high-speed internet connection, or will probably purchase one.

While Nielsen reports that the in-home TV and computer are still the most popular devices for video content, over half of global online consumers say they watch video on a mobile phone at least once a month, and close to three in ten turn to their mobile phones for videos once a day or more.

If you are Asian, the likelihood of you having uploaded or streamed your favourite videos on your mobile phone is even higher. Close to three-quarters of online consumers in the Asia-Pacifi c region have reported watching video on their mobile phones at least once a month, with 38% saying they do so at least once a day. One reason for this could be that in developing markets, consumers sidestep home internet altogether, preferring the multiple functionalities of a smartphone, said Dounia Turrill, SVP, Client Insights, Nielsen.

The report predicts that the popularity of portable devices in the Asia-Pacifi c region is so great that within the next 12 months, seven in ten people in this region can potentially own a smartphone.

Similarly, tablet devices are generating great interest in Asia- Pacifi c, with almost one in fi ve people already owning a tablet. Potentially, in the next 12 months, almost one in two people in this region (45%) will be using a tablet. Globally, tablet ownership has increased by over 70% since 2010, to 12% today.

“The impact of mobile technology can be felt around the globe and touches all aspects of life, from entertainment and shopping to business and personal communication,” said Amilcar Pérez, President, Telecom, Nielsen. “In recent years, smartphones and tablets, with their accessibility, vibrant screens and internet access, have propelled us further forward into a new and exciting digital age. This has been felt around the globe and has enabled connections in all markets, particularly emerging markets, like never before.”

But this increased competition from portable devices has not overshadowed the fascination for television and its associated technologies. Global online consumers report owning or intending to purchase technologies like high-defi nition TVs (58%), digital video recorders (42%), connected TVs (35%) and 3D-capable sets (29%), the report reveals.

Perhaps the diversity in the number of viewing devices is leading to segregation, in that consumers are not satisfi ed with using just the television, as it may not provide them the content they want, or the way they want it. But the continuous developments in television technology (Connected TVs, 3D TVs, etc.) appear to be sustaining or aggregating audience’s interest in the fi rst screen, rather than diminishing it.