Commentary

Video Use Rises On All Devices

Are video appetites bottomless?

Some may say so. At the very least, appetites keep growing. Nielsen’s just-released total audience report found that video use across computers, smartphones and tablets jumped nearly 20% compared to a year ago.

Certain times of day tracked the largest rise in digital video use.. Consumption of digital video between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m. rose 38% from May 2014 to May 2015.  Nielsen also said video usage increases in the 9 p.m. hour. The research giant posits that the bursts in digital video during these times speak to the convenience factor of watching a quick video on a handheld device compared to the TV set.

These findings dovetail with other recent industry data. Video platform company Ooyala  found in its second quarter video report that 44% of online video views occurred on mobile devices, up from 27% a year ago. The company projects that mobile viewing will make up more than 50% of online video views by the end of the year. The ease of clicking on a video on the device most consumers carry with them at nearly all times seems to be driving this trend. Bear in mind that smartphones are the mobile devices driving this growth, and they account for eight times the video share of tablets.

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These data points might not be earth-shattering, but they are certainly useful for marketers in understanding the mindset and motivations of consumers watching video. “Consumers don’t see media use as an ‘either/or’ proposition. They leverage all ways to connect with content at different times of the day. Knowing these usage patterns can really give the industry a clear line of sight on being able to take advantage of these patterns,” said Glenn Enoch, Nielsen’s senior vice president, audience insights, in a statement.

Also of note, Nielsen saw an uptick in the use of over-the-top devices, such as Roku, Apple TV and game consoles in the evening hours, suggesting such devices are increasingly replicating the role of the television in living room.

1 comment about "Video Use Rises On All Devices".
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  1. James Pereira from Reputation Marketing Coach, September 24, 2015 at 7:42 p.m.

    Would be great to see data on the ideal length of a video for mobile device viewing.

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