So says some new research by Nielsen Media Research, and it says that audio is more popular than video, which is of course an obvious thing to figure out. Nielsen monitored a panel of 400 iPod users (which may be too small) in the U.S. from Oct. 1-27, and out of that, less than 1% of content items played by iPod users on either iTunes or the device itself were videos. Among video iPod users, that percentage barely improves, up to 2.2%.
Even measured by duration of consumption, where 30- or 60-minute TV shows might seem to have a built-in advantage over three-minute songs, video comprises just 2% of total time spent using iPods or iTunes among iPod owners. Video iPod users consume video 11% of the time.
The story says this: “The data could raise some profound questions about assumptions made regarding consumer behavior; specifically, whether mobile devices can truly encourage a mass audience to adopt mobile video consumption after generations of generally homebound, large-screen viewing habits.” I doubt it is so black and white by any means.