Mobile video plays topped 60 per cent globally for the first time in the fourth quarter of 2017, garnering a 60.3 per cent share of all video starts, new research revealed.
According to Ooyala’s Q4 2017 Global Video Index Report the Europe/Middle East/Africa (EMEA) region had the greatest level of engagement at 63.5 per cent, while North America lagged most of the rest of world at 57.6 per cent despite seeing mobile video jump 11 per cent from the fourth quarter of 2016.
A global shift in device, content of choice
Across all measured devices, including smartphones, tablets, connected TVs and PCs, viewing time for medium- and long-form content grew to over 50 per cent of all content, continuing a trend first reported by Ooyala in 2017.
One of the biggest viewing shifts occurred on PCs, where time spent watching long-form content dropped to just 37 per cent in Q4 – its lowest point since Q1 of 2016, when it was 35 per cent.
On the other hand, time spent watching short-form content on PCs climbed to 50 per cent, the most of any device. Elsewhere, short-form content was essentially flat year-over-year on smartphones (44 per cent), tablets (26 per cent) and connected TVs (0.7 per cent).
Here are some of the other key findings from the report:
- Smartphone views were more than three times that of tablets. However, tablets’ share of all video plays (12.8 per cent) represented a 68 per cent increase from Q4 in 2016).
- Mobile plays could soon reach – and potentially exceed – 70 per cent market share, driven by more premium sports assets moving online.
- On average, over-the-top content services doubled their hours of content offerings over the last 12 months, with long-form content increasing 159 per cent. Medium-form content offerings increased 87 per cent and short-form content increased 112 per cent.
- Smartphones (55 per cent) topped PCs (36 per cent) for the percentage of pre-roll ad impressions shown on broadcaster platforms.
- Smartphone pre-roll impressions were highest (69 per cent) on publisher platforms.
- Publishers saw total impressions soar on smartphones to 51 per cent of all connected devices.
- Mid-roll ads saw the highest percentage of completions for broadcasters and publisher platforms; broadcasters saw completion rates top 97 per cent for all screens.
