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Non-Desktop Online Video Plays Surge in Q4 2011 »
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Non-Desktop Online Video Plays Surge in Q4 2011
Video plays on tablets, mobile devices, and connected TVs and game consoles (CTV & GC) almost doubled in Q4 2011, leading to a more than doubling of the share of video plays represented by these non-desktop devices, according to [pdf] a report released in February 2012 by Ooyala. During Q4, the tablet share of non-desktop video plays grew the most, by 132%. The growth in mobile share was 94%, while the growth in CTV & GC share was 96%.
Mobiles Fall in Viewer Engagement
Viewers watching videos on connected TV devices and game consoles (CTV & GC) were the most engaged of viewers across all devices in Q4 2011, completing videos at a rate of 47%. Tablet viewers and desktop viewers, who completed videos 38% of the time, were next. And whereas desktop viewers had seen the worst viewer engagement in Q3, in Q4 that dubious distinction belonged to mobile viewers, who completed videos just 28% of the time.
The trend held for other engagement rates too: CTV & GC viewers were most likely to watch one-quarter of a video (63%), half a video (57%), and three-quarters of a video (53%), with tablet viewers taking the second spot for each rate.
In fact, long-form videos (10 minutes or longer) accounted for 57% of the hours watched on a connected TV device or game console, whereas short-form videos (3 minutes or shorter) accounted for 19%. By comparison, long-form videos accounted for 29% of the hours watched on a mobile device, while short-form videos accounted for 36%.
Although mobile viewers lagged in engagement in Q4, mobile is exhibiting rapid growth as a video viewing medium: according to February 2012 data from Nielsen, mobile subscribers watching video online in Q3 2011 showed the fastest growth of all viewing mediums, jumping 37% year-over-year and 5% quarter-over-quarter to reach more than 10% of the population. In fact, this represents a jump of 205.7% in users since Nielsen first launched its report in Q3 2008.
Conversion Rates Increase
Data from Ooyala’s Video Index indicates that during Q4, desktop conversion rates (the ratio of plays to displays) increased 10% from 39.9% to 43.9%. Mobile conversion rates showed marginal growth of 2.1%, from 41.1% to 41.2%, while tablet conversion rates grew a healthy 15.3%, from 16.9% to 19.5%.
CTV & GC displayed the best conversion rates throughout the period, jumping an impressive 32% from 40.4% to 53.3%. The average conversion rate across all devices increased from 35.1% in Q3 2011 to 39.6% in Q4.
Other Findings:
- For every video shared via Twitter in Q4, more than 10 were shared on Facebook. Additionally, users shared more videos by copying and pasting a URL than by tweeting.
- Both iPhone and Android grew rapidly in terms of mobile video plays and hours watched. Growth in the iPhone’s share of total video plays outpaced that of Android for most of the quarter.
- Google TV showed significant growth throughout Q4, with total video plays increasing 91%.
- Viewers using a connected TV device or gaming system watched 288% longer per play on average than desktop viewers.
About the Data: The data used in the Ooyala report was taken from an anonymous cross-section of Ooyala’s global customer and partner database—an array of broadcasters, studios, cable operators, print publications, online media companies and consumer brands. These firms broadcast video to over 100 different countries from more than 5,000 unique domains. More than 100 million unique viewers watch an Ooyala-powered video every month. The data sample is not intended to represent the entire internet or all online video viewers.
