Watching video via smartphone is growing in popularity thanks to the large touchscreens and robust connectivity options these devices tout. In the recent Mobile Consumer Report, Nielsen found that more people are watching video on the go and are doing so more frequently, especially in markets where 3G/4G data service is prevalent.

BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) markets, with the exception of India, boast some of the highest rates of mobile video viewing among those in Nielsen’s syndicated survey, with 39 percent of China’s mobile subscribers and 43 percent of Brazil’s viewing mobile video in a 30-day period. While smartphone owners are the minority in Japan, the market features fast 3G/4G connections, which explains why Japan has the highest penetration of mobile video viewers (46%) of these global markets.

The growing availability of 3G/4G data plans is also fueling a spike in video streaming through apps and mobile sites—a trend that’s more the norm these days among smartphone owners in these markets. Apps are becoming the primary way that smartphone owners in China (55%) and the U.K. (59%) watch videos on their devices. And in markets where high-speed data connections are not always available, such as India, downloaded clips—from a computer then loaded on to the smartphone—remain more prevalent for watching mobile video.

While mobile video viewing is increasing globally, consumers in China and Brazil are most active, as 37 percent in China view multiple videos per day, and one in three Brazilians view two or more videos per day. Nearly half of mobile video viewers in Brazil and China watch video on their device at least once a day, and two out of five users in the U.S. watch video daily on their device.

For more information about how consumers around the globe are using mobile, download The Mobile Consumer: A Global Snapshot.