Ooyala Q4 2016 Global Video Index

Mobile now represents 54% of all online viewing and is projected to hit nearly 60% in Q1 2017.

Ooyala has released its Q4 2016 Global Video Index, showing mobile devices attract the most video views for advertising video-on-demand (AVOD) services with global distribution. 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.

Global AVOD Services: Go Mobile

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 percent of all AVOD video views. Smartphones make up the bulk of AVOD consumption at 45 percent, slightly usurping desktops at 44 percent with tablets taking the remaining 11 percent. Regionally, the study finds: 

• 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.

Total Plays and Long-Form Viewing Increase Across Mobile

As of Q4 2016, mobile viewing now makes up 54 percent of total global video plays, irrespective of business model, up from 46 percent one year ago. For more granular growth, in November 2016, mobile devices hit 56 percent of all video views, and in December it grew to an impressive 58 percent. Based on this growth, Ooyala expects nearly 60 percent 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 percent and 65 percent respectively, mobile devices are no longer for short-form video only. Long-form content made up 47 percent of all mobile plays in Q4, outpacing short-form video plays at 40 percent. Content providers must tailor their strategy around mobile, particularly as it becomes a go-to device for longer videos. 

More Q4 2016 Global Video 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.