Report: Mobile Video Use Up, Connected TV Still King

15 Sep, 2014 By: Erik Gruenwedel

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Despite a surge in video consumption on mobile phones and tablets, most viewers still prefer connected televisions when viewing content longer than 30 minutes, according to new data from Ooyala Global Video Index Q2 2014.

About 81% of time watched on connected TVs was with videos longer than 10 minutes, while 70% of time watched on tablets was with video longer than 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, viewers using mobile phones spent 45% of their time watching videos of 6 minutes or less in length. Indeed, on connected TVs, viewers spent 65% of their time watching videos 30 minutes or longer; and more than half of that time (54%) was with content longer than 60 minutes. On tablets, viewers spent 23% of their time watching video of 30 to 60 minutes in length, more than on any other device.

The latter data point underscores the reality that while mobile phones remain the portable media device of choice among the coveted aged 18-24 Millennials demo, which primarily digests short-form video, not Hollywood movies or subscription streaming content.

Indeed, online video segments ranging from 1 to 3 minutes long get most of the plays on all devices, from 38% on tablets, and 49% on connected TVs, with content lasting up to 1 minute next most popular in a range of 23% on tablets to 31% on desktops. Meanwhile, tablets tied with connected TVs at 19%.

Ooyala cited research from Nielsen that showed Millennials watching 4.5 fewer hours of traditional TV than they did during the same period a year ago. Deloitte’s annual Digital Democracy Survey found Millennials spend more time watching movies and TV shows on devices other than TVs.

Mobile Video Surge

The connected TV may be the device of choice to watch movies and TV shows from online sources, but the report projected that online video on mobile devices is on track to make up more than half of all online video views by the beginning of 2016.

The report cited larger screens on tablets, smartphones and ultrabooks that make watching video easier, and increasing deployments of TV Everywhere platforms. For example, it's estimated that in the United States more than 90% of pay-TV subscribers have access to TV Everywhere and direct-to-consumer video offerings focusing on mobile devices.

In the past 12 months, mobile video consumption doubled from 11% of all online viewing to more than 25% in the most recent quarter – a 127% increase. As recently as Q2 2012, mobile views made up just 5% of the total, meaning that mobile share increased more than 400% in a span of two years.

Over the past five months, Ooyala said growth in the percentage of mobile video views hasn’t faltered, growing from 21% in February to nearly 27% in June.

A report from The Diffusion Group found that 49% of U.S. adult broadband users use mobile video at least monthly, with 17% engaging with a mobile video app weekly and 16% daily. And 63% of 18-24 Millennials say they use mobile video apps at least once a month.

Ooyala found that the size of the screen and the comfort of the living room remain important factors when watching long-form video. At the same time, increasing sizes of mobile phone screens is helping those devices make significant inroads in the consumption of content longer than 60 minutes.

Indeed, 25% of the time mobile phone users spent watching video on their devices was with video longer than 30 minutes.

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