Viewers in Europe, particularly Britain, watch more online sports content via mobile than those in the rest of the world, according to the latest Ooyala report.
Ooyala’s Q3 2016 Global Video Index also notes that mobile viewing now represents over half (52 per cent) of all video views.
Last year, Ireland was the only market with a share of sports video views on mobile devices beyond 50 per cent. Now, that figure is around average, with Britain seeing 59 per cent of sports video plays on mobile devices. That figure stands at 54 per cent for the entirety of Europe, and at 52 per cent in the US.
The report also stated that over 52 per cent of all video views were on mobile devices in Q3. Since Q3 2013, mobile video views have increased more than 233 per cent.
Q3 2016 also marks the first quarter to show growth across all screens for mid- to long-form video consumption – content over five minutes in length. Consumers are increasingly more comfortable watching longer content, even if on smaller screens. Smartphone users now spend 48 per cent of their time on mid- to long-form content, up more than 23 per cent from last year, while viewers on computers spend 57 per cent, a 43 per cent year-on-year increase.
“The importance of data is crucial for broadcasters, publishers and media companies as digital TV makes audiences and, therefore, strategies global. Having analytics to understand how viewers across the globe are consuming video differently is paramount,” said Ooyala principal analyst Jim O’Neill.
“Mobile can’t be ignored, either. Netflix just announcing offline viewing of its content on mobile devices underlines just how mobile we’ve become and how crucial mobile devices are for all content providers.
“This report reflects that as consumption of mid- to long-form premium content is increasing and gaining traction on all devices, particularly mobile.”
