240m people to watch TV on smartphones by 2014 [Report]

For large numbers of people, watching TV still entails having a fairly large piece of furniture in their living room. In the next few years though, it could just mean having a smartphone.

According to UK-based tech analysis company Juniper Research, around 240-million people are set to watch TV on their smart devices by 2014.

The company reckons that this growth will largely be driven by a combination of both increased smartphone penetration and, critically, an increasing usage of live and on-demand services both on TVs and PCs.

Smartphones mean that you can take live TV with you. That’s particularly important at a time when people want to know what’s going on in sports, news, and other events while they’re happening.

The switch to mobile TV potentially also means new ways to make money. According to Juniper Research nearly 10% of mobile TV revenues will be generated on tablet devices. The majority of that revenue will, however come from the Far East and China.

“The smartphone really allows the consumer to transport the TV experience out of the home, allowing them to view live and on-demand content while on the move,” says Juniper Research’s Charlotte Miller.

“The ubiquity of free Wi-Fi also allows users of these services to access content without the threat of billshock — driving take up of streamed mobile TV services across all Wi-Fi-enabled mobile devices,” she adds.