A global survey commissioned has found that India is leading the way in monetizing mobile content with 50% of people having paid for mobile video content.
The survey by new media delivery specialists Vidiator also said this compares to just 26% in the UK and 47% in Malaysia.
However over two thirds of people would be willing to pay for content only if service providers can address some major quality of experience challenges.
The survey of 1500 people across the UK, India and Malaysia, found that people’s current experience of watching mobile video content on portable devices is blighted by problems including poor quality image and slow and inconsistent load times.
The good news for content providers and mobile operators is that, while not many people are currently paying for video, the majority would if the service was good enough.
The survey found that while mobile video is a popular format, people are frustrated by poor quality content. The biggest problem is the slow load time and buffering, with over 50% of people in the UK, 68% in India and a massive 89% of people in Malaysia dissatisfied with the time it takes video to load.
Poor picture and sound quality was another big complaint, with 61% of Malaysian consumers saying that videos are often not good enough, this compares to 33% in India but just 19% of UK people. Those in the UK instead complain of interruptions to playback spoiling their video experience, something suffered by 41% of subscribers.
Despite this, 73% of people in the UKhave already paid for mobile video or would consider it in the future; this compares to 64% in India and 74% in Malaysia.