Thai internet users in rural areas have pushed ahead of their city cousins in YouTube viewership, according to the latest market research from TNS.
The TNS survey on Thais visiting YouTube for Google Thailand found that internet users in provincial areas spent 2.1 hours daily on YouTube, with an average of 39 minutes watched per visit, more that urban users, who spent 1.8 hours a day, with 33 minutes per visit.
The latest market research was conducted in May this year with more than 1,000 respondents nationwide.
The findings ensure the bright prospects of YouTube in Thailand, thanks to cheaper smartphones and burgeoning nationwide high-speed wireless networks, as well as low-cost mobile data plans for consumers.
"Currently, people can stay connected everywhere and YouTube can be a source of information and entertainment," said Michael Jittivanich, head of marketing at Google Thailand.
"People in the countryside are obviously living less hectic lives, so they have more time to watch videos," said Mr Michael.
The research also shows that there is a greater variety of content on YouTube being watched in these provinces.
"Since viewership has been increasing rapidly, and attracting independent video creators to further upload their content onto YouTube, advertising revenue will also increase in turn," said Mr Michael.
Today, 62% of Thais are online, with half of their time online being spent on YouTube.
Up to 65% of YouTube watch time in Thailand is done through mobile devices, up from 52% last year, he said.
Mr Michael said the number of YouTube visits per day for Thai internet users has increased continuously from three visits per day in 2014 to 3.3 visits this year.
Of the respondents, 81% said YouTube is the first place they go for videos, 61% prefer YouTube over TV, while only 11% prefer TV over YouTube.
Mr Michael said 59% of YouTube viewers in Thailand said they specifically go to YouTube in order to watch videos, while the remaining 41% said they click on links from other sites that take them to YouTube.
Mr Michael said the company found YouTube's ecosystem has accelerated in the past two years, seeing 75% growth in content uploaded since 2014 on YouTube Thailand.
There are as many as 25 independent creators in Thailand who have over 1 million subscribers on their channel, eight of whom reached 1 million subscribers within a year of their first video upload.
