• by Erik Sass , Staff Writer @eriksass1, December 3, 2014

U.S. Hispanics are big fans of mobile video, judging by a recent Verizon study that shows Spanish-language programs are more than twice as likely as English-language programs to be watched on a mobile device, at least among consumers using the Verizon FiOS mobile app.

Overall, Spanish-language viewers comprised 7% of the mobile video streaming audience for Verizon’s FiOS mobile app in the first ten months of 2014, roughly double the proportion during the same period last year. The increase was driven in large part by sports content, including (surprise) soccer.

According to Verizon 37% of all Spanish-language viewing on the FiOS mobile app takes place out of home, compared to just 20% for programming in other languages.

Verizon also cited data from PricewaterhouseCoopers showing that Hispanics are 72% more likely to stream video than non-Hispanic counterparts, while 37% of Hispanics download video, compared to 17% for non-Hispanics.

A number of surveys have shown that U.S. Hispanics over-index in a number of mobile behaviors. According to PwC, Hispanics are also more likely to use mobile devices while watching TV, with 58% of Hispanics engaging in “second-screen” behaviors versus 53% of non-Hispanics.

Hispanics also lead the general population in using mobile coupons that are downloaded for use at a store, with 25% using mobile coupons versus 17% of non-Hispanics, while 24% of Hispanics pay for physical goods or services with credit or debit information stored on their devices, compared to 13% of non-Hispanics.

Turning to mobile banking, 65% of U.S. Hispanics said they check their bank balance, make transactions and pay bills using their mobile device at least once a week, compared to 53% of non-Hispanics. Hispanics were also more likely to transfer money to another individual via their phone (10% versus 7%), store money instead of a checking account (7% versus 4%), and use tickets on their devices instead of a paper ticket for an event (10% versus 7%).

"Mobile Video" photo from Shutterstock.