Mobile devices are increasingly becoming the venue where consumers are viewing advertising video-on-demand video (AVOD) streams, said Ooyala Research.
The research firm said in its Q4 2016 Global Video Index that mobile viewing now represents 54% of all online viewing, up from 46% in 2016. In November 2016, mobile devices hit 56% of all video views, and in December it grew to an impressive 58%.
Ooyala said that “content providers must tailor their strategy around mobile, particularly as it becomes a go-to device for longer videos.”
But this appears to be the tip of the iceberg. In the first quarter of 2017, Ooyala said this figure is projected to hit nearly 60%.
On a global basis, mobile devices, a mix that includes smartphones and tablets, represent 56% of all AVOD video views.
RELATED: Brightcove, Vidyard, Kaltura beat out IBM, Ooyala on enterprise online video platform study
Perhaps not surprisingly, smartphones make up the bulk of AVOD consumption at 45%, slightly surpassing desktops at 44%, with tablets taking the remaining 11%.
Mobile devices aren’t being used just for short-form video only. More consumers are watching more long-form content on mobile devices. While connected TV and tablets continue to be the platform of choice for long-form content, 96% and 65% respectively, long-form content made up 47% of all mobile plays in the fourth quarter, outpacing short-form video plays at 40%.
“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. 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,” said Jim O’Neill, principal analyst and strategic media consultant for Ooyala, in a release. “The bottom line is TV of the future will not be anything like the legacy TV market we all grew up with.”
From a regional perspective, North America AVOD viewing on mobile devices lagged the most at nearly 50%. That's 6% lower than the global average and nearly 10% behind EMEA.
Ooyala attributed the lower AVOD viewing statistics “to the maturity of the market and more users using a wider range of devices, particularly connected TV.”
EMEA and Asia Pacific are a different story.
In Asia-Pacific, mobile AVOD viewing trends were slightly higher than the global average at 58%. But EMEA is seeing the highest mobile AVOD viewing at nearly 60%, with tablets having the highest consumption than any other region at 12%. Finally, in LATAM, mobile represented 56% of all AVOD viewing.