REPORT: We're Living In A Golden Age Of Mobile Video

This post is sponsored by Ooyala.

Less than a decade ago, the term "mobile video" likely conjured up images of a TV on a wheeled cart, if it brought anything to mind at all. It simply didn't exist.

How times have changed.

Ooyala's Q4 Global Video Index (which you can download here), a summary of anonymous viewing data from nearly 200 million unique viewers watching online video on Ooyala players in 130 countries every month, shows that consumers love watching videos on mobile devices.

Viewers engage with live sports, live linear TV, and a massive library of short- and long-form video - from free to premium - available from a wide selection of services on hundreds of different mobile devices.

We live in a new "Golden Age," a time in which consumers have taken control of their entertainment experience. Smartphones and tablets increasingly are at the core of that experience.

Analysts agree.

Infonetics Research forecasts that 89% of pay-TV service providers would support tablets as part of their multiscreen services by 2015, up from 47% today. ABI Research said mobile video viewing would grow to 21 hours a month by 2019, up from 12.7 hours today.

While those forecasts indicate the potential for mobile growth, Ooyala's Q4 Global Video Index reveals the growth is already happening, and faster than expected. The data in the report shows the share of time spent watching videos on tablets and mobile devices increased 719% from Q4 2011 through the close of 2013. In 2012 alone it was up 160%.

This year, the Winter Olympics in Sochi and March Madness both had huge gains in mobile share. And, with help from the upcoming World Cup in Brazil, 2014 already is poised to be a record-setting year.

Ooyala believes the time viewers spend watching video on mobile devices will double by the end of 2015 to 37% of all online video viewing, and reach 50% by 2016.

Technology, obviously, is playing a critical role, assuring smooth delivery and the TV-like experience consumers demand - even on the small screen. And big data is making it easier for them to discover content they want to see, without having to waste time searching for it.

After all, when you're living in a Golden Age, you can't afford to waste it.

Download Ooyala's Q4 Global Video Index here.

This post was adapted from an article by Jim O'Neill, Principal/Content Marketing at Ooyala. Follow him at www.VideoMind.com or on Twitter @JimONeillMedia.

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