Mobile is the main global driver for AVOD viewership: Ooyala

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Mobile devices attract the majority of video views for advertising video-on-demand (AVOD) services with global distribution, according to the newly released Q4 2016 Global Video Index from Ooyala.

The report also shows variances of viewing habits across devices in different regions and continues to track the upward trajectory of mobile as the primary device for video, Ooyala said.

The report examines several large AVOD customers across sports, news, and entertainment distributing ad-supported video in every geographical region. The results show patterns in how AVOD content performs in each region across devices.

Globally, mobile devices, an accumulation of smartphones and tablets, represent 56% of all AVOD video views. Smartphones make up the bulk of AVOD consumption at 45%, slightly usurping desktops at 44% with tablets taking the remaining 11%.

Regional findings:

  • In APAC, mobile AVOD viewing trends slightly higher than the global average at 58%
  • EMEA sees the highest mobile AVOD viewing at nearly 60% with tablets having the highest consumption than any other region at 12%
  • In LATAM, mobile represents 56% of all AVOD viewing
  • In North America, AVOD viewing on mobile devices lags the most at nearly 50%. That’s 6% behind the global average and nearly 10% behind EMEA. This is due in part to the maturity of the market and more users using a wider range of devices, particularly connected TV.

As of Q4 2016, mobile viewing now makes up 54% of total global video plays, irrespective of business model, up from 46% one year ago. For more granular growth, in November 2016, mobile devices hit 56% of all video views, and in December it grew to an impressive 58%. Based on this growth, Ooyala expects nearly 60% of all video views to be on mobile devices by Q1 2017.

Long-form content, too, continues to grow on mobile devices. While connected TV and tablets continue to be the platform of choice for long-form content, 96% and 65% respectively, mobile devices are no longer for short-form video only. Long-form content made up 47% of all mobile plays in Q4, outpacing short-form video plays at 40%. Content providers must tailor their strategy around mobile, particularly as it becomes a go-to device for longer videos.

“We see a steady increase of premium subscription and ad-supported content coming over the top, and the consumer is determining which will be the winner,” said Ooyala principal analyst and strategic media consultant Jim O’Neill. “Based on our data and feedback from customers, we see the modern TV model evolving into one that involves both, a hybrid of SVOD and AVOD and accessible on every device. The bottom line is TV of the future will not be anything like the legacy TV market we all grew up with.”

More index highlights:

  • In APAC, short-form desktop viewing is 28% higher than the world average
  • Long-form viewing on tablets is 19% higher in Latin America than the rest of the world
  • Publishers saw a rise in mid-roll impressions on mobile devices, increasing from 30% in Q3 to 48% in Q4
  • Broadcasters see a near 96% mid-roll ad completion rate across all devices while publishers saw mid-roll ad completion rates drop from 84% to 78% in Q4 2016.

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