Mobile devices accounted for 58% of all videos watched globally during the first quarter, and media companies created and processed nearly three times as much video content as they did a year earlier, according to Ooyala’s Q1 2018 Global Video Index Report.
But while mobile video consumption continues to rise, growth has also stabilized at just 1.8% from the prior year, which Ooyala says is one of the lowest in 14 quarters.
The Asia Pacific region saw the share of video plays on mobile devices hit 60.7%, which is up from 52.3% a year ago.
Long form content
One interesting finding is the rising popularity of long-form content. Specifically, long-form video – which are those classified as being 20 minutes or longer, made up of more than half of video content watched across every device and screen.
This happens even on smartphone, with viewers watching long-form content of between 20 to 40 minutes to completion 57% of the time. This dips slightly to a still respectable 45% with ultra-long form content, which are those longer than 40 minutes.
This compares favorably with the statistics from other platforms: viewers watched long-form content to completion 61% on tablets and 71% on PCs, and ultra-long form content to completion 51% tablets and 59% PCs.
“Consumers are becoming far more comfortable watching any content on every screen than they've ever been,” explained Jim O'Neill, a principal analyst at Ooyala.
“The traditional barriers to multiscreen viewing – the amount of available premium content, the cost of service and the quality of experience – all have fallen. The first screen for viewing truly has become the screen that's most available to the viewer at the moment.”
Finally, the report finds that OTT services have more than doubled their hours of content offerings in Q4 2017, pointing to the rise of streaming content.
“[Content creators] understand that mobile needs to be a pillar of any content provider’s streaming video strategy. Ignore mobile or allow lower-quality standards for your video stream, and you’re likely to lose a significant portion of your business,” said O’Neill.
First published in CMO Innovation