Young adults in the US increased their media content consumption on mobile devices, with more than half their viewing time spent on a smartphone or tablet in Q3 2019, data from market research company Nielsen revealed.

The company’s Total Audience Report showed 53 per cent of time spent consuming media content by US consumers aged between 18 years and 34 years-old was on a mobile phone or a tablet in the quarter, up from 41 per cent in Q3 2018.

Adults in this age range have spent more time consuming media on smartphones than any other age group, at four hours and forty-five minutes per day compared with close to three hours in the 2018 quarter.

Across all age groups (18 years and over) consumers spent an average of almost four hours viewing media on smartphones in Q3 2019, compared with two-and-a-half hours in the same period of 2018. Tablets were used for an average of 52 minutes per day in the recent quarter, up from 43 minutes in Q3 2018.

Nielsen’s research also showed 64 per cent of adults streamed audio content on smartphones each week, with 25 per cent using tablets.

The study also highlighted mobile as an important revenue driver for mainstream streaming companies, with 18 per cent of consumers stating they would subscribe to more subscription-based services to be able to access content “on the go” or on mobile devices.

For audio, 39 per cent of respondents said they would subscribe to additional paid audio streaming services in order to access it on mobile.

Nielsen stated overall media consumption was nearly 12 hours per day, representing nearly an hour-and-a-half of additional media exposure compared with Q3 2018, driven by smartphone usage.