Mobile video consumption continues its upward surge, with no signs of slowing down anytime soon. By 2019, video will make up 80 percent of all internet traffic, according to Cisco.
In the second quarter of 2018, smartphone-only video starts topped 50% for the first time globally — surging 9.8%, the largest increase in five quarters. This finding in the Q2 2018 Global Video Index Report by Ooyala occurred as mobile video consumption combined with season finales on television shows, sports season finales, and new content initiatives.
“More content creators, seeing the trend toward greater long-form video consumption on mobile devices — a trend we’ve been noting since last year — are now developing content concurrently for multiple platforms and are transitioning beyond snackable mobile-only content,” said Jim O’Neill, Ooyala principal analyst.
The 50% smartphone video starts represented a 13.2% year-over-year change. There were a number of other key findings by Ooyala by region:
- North America: Total long-form time watched on smartphones topped 75%, mobile plays increased to 56% of all video starts (up 4% year-over-year and up 14% since Q2 2016), and mobile starts exceeded 50% for the past eight quarters.
- Europe-Middle East-Africa (EMEA): Mobile video hit 54% of all starts, up from 49% a year ago.
- Asia-Pacific (APAC): Mobile video’s share of all plays was 74% — the highest ever, and up 64% in two years.
- Latin America: Mobile starts topped 65%, an increase of 20% year-over-year and 38% over two years.
Mobile video is just getting stronger and stronger, and the 2018 Q2 report indicates that Q3 numbers will see an even more massive uptick. There is an unprecedented consumer demand for mobile, and content distributors need to take advantage of this. Mobile video is a space for incredible opportunity for digital publishers — especially in long-form content.
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