LONDON, United Kingdom – Ooyala, a leading provider of software and services that simplify the complexity of producing, streaming and monetising video, released its Q1 2017 Global Video Index, revealing, for the first time, long-form content represents the majority of time spent watching video on every screen. This quarter’s report also tracks variances in video consumption between the East and West coasts of the United States, the continued growth of mobile, as well as emerging trends in online video advertising.
Long-Form Leads On Every Screen
While short-form video has the greatest chance of being watched in its entirety, for the first time, long-form content—greater than 20 minutes in length—now represents the majority of time spent watching video across all screen sizes, at 63 percent.
Much of that is due to the increasing amount of premium content that services are now making available to all devices. As longer content becomes more prevalent, short-form is losing its dominance, particularly as larger mobile screens are now more common.
By device, the study finds long-form content now represents:
- 98% of all time spent watching video on connected TVs, up from 83% the year before;
- 81% on tablets, also up notably from 51% the year before;
- 65% on computers, nearly doubling from a year before (35%);
- 55% on smartphones, a 26% increase from Q1 2016.
Global Video Consumption: Mobile Paves the Way
Mobile viewing continues to be a major driver of OTT growth, reaching a new high of nearly 57 percent of all video plays in Q1 2017 with smartphones accounting for 47 percent of total plays and tablets the other 10 percent. Although mobile plays were dominant in every region, Ooyala found an 11 percent variance in consumption between North American viewers and more active viewers in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region; while Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) and Latin America (LATAM) saw more than 10 percent year-over-year growth in mobile consumption.
Regionally, the study finds:
- In EMEA, mobile plays represent 54% of all video plays, up from just 42% a year ago;
- In North America, mobile represents slightly more than half of all video plays, up from 48% a year ago;
- In APAC, 61% of all video plays are on mobile, up from 46% a year ago;
- In LATAM, mobile plays topped 56%—up from 46% a year earlier, with tablets representing 5%, the least of any region.
“Adoption of mobile devices isn’t slowing down, and consumers are as comfortable watching long-form content on smartphones and tablets as they are short clips,” said Ooyala Principal Analyst and Strategic Media Consultant, Jim O’Neill. “It’s no longer enough simply to deliver content to a mobile device. Ensuring the highest quality video, in addition to easy discovery and navigation, has become a must-have for any compelling viewing experience. Video providers should be prepared to make all of their content available for mobile consumption, and business strategies must embrace all screen sizes.”
The East vs West Divide: Time of Day & Device Use In the US
Ooyala found variances in when and how video is consumed on the East and West coasts of the United States over the course of a week. In general, viewers on the West Coast tend to start their activity earlier on all devices for morning news and stock market updates happening on the East Coast, regardless of the device. The report shows:
- Personal computers: Ramp up in the morning as early as 5 a.m. local time on both coasts, peaking mid-day on the weekdays, but trailing off quickly as the work day ends. PCs are the only device that see greater consumption on weekdays than on the weekends in the mornings.
- Smartphones: Both coasts see peak activity between 9-10 a.m. and again around 9 p.m. with little variance in-between peak times due to the personal, go-to nature of smartphones every day of the week.
- Tablets: See the greatest consumption on weekend mornings. Around 6 p.m., for both coasts, consumption trails off on the weekends, but rises to the highest consumption on weekday nights, and more so on the East versus the West.
More Q1 2017 Global Video Index Highlights:
- APAC saw the largest growth in mobile video consumption of any region, jumping 15% since last year;
- Broadcasters increased their reliance on tablets for mid-roll ads, delivering 54% of total mid-roll ads on those devices. Mobile devices represent nearly 66%, unseating PCs (26.5%), a big drop from when PCs held the lion’s share (39%) in Q4 2016.
About Ooyala:
Ooyala is a leading provider of software and services that simplify the complexity of producing, streaming and monetising video. Providing a set of Integrated Video Platform solutions, Ooyala’s comprehensive suite of offerings includes one of the world’s largest premium video platforms, a leading ad decisioning platform and a media logistics solution that improves video production workflows. Built with superior analytics capabilities for advanced business intelligence, Ooyala’s solutions help broadcasters, operators, media and production companies get content to market faster, build more engaging and personalised experiences across every screen, and maximise return for any video business.
Vudu, Star India, Sky Sports (U.K.), ITV Studios (U.K.), RTL Group (Germany), TV4 (Sweden), Mediaset (Spain), America Television (Peru), and Media Prima (Malaysia): these are just a few of the hundreds of broadcasters and media companies who choose Ooyala.
Headquartered in Silicon Valley, Ooyala is a subsidiary of global telecommunications and IT services company Telstra and has offices in Chennai, Cologne, Dallas, Guadalajara, London, Madrid, New York, Paris, Singapore, Stockholm, Sydney, Tokyo, and sales operations in many other countries across the globe. For more information, visit www.ooyala.com.
