Mobile will Soon Become the Number One Video Screen
- Wednesday, February 22nd, 2017
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Mobile is rapidly heading towards becoming the number one video screen in the UK, with 52 per cent of people watching videos on their smartphones daily – the same amount as those watching video on desktops or laptops.
According to AOL-commissioned InsightsNow research, conducted in the US, UK, Canada, France, Japan, South East Asia and Australia, 57 per cent of consumers now watching videos on their mobile phones every day globally, compared to 58 per cent on desktops or laptops.
A survey found that 71 per cent of UK consumers say they cannot live without their phones. This increase in dependency has impacted the growth of people viewing videos on their smartphones across all lengths of video.
However, as attention spans shrink, short-form videos are rising at the highest rate. In the UK, 32 per cent of consumers watch videos that are five minutes or less every day, compared to 42 per cent globally, while only 17 per cent of UK consumers watch videos that are between 10 and 20 minutes long on a daily basis – 21 per cent globally.
The growing popularity of video on mobile is also supporting the rise of immersive formats. In the UK, 60 per cent of consumers are regularly watching live video on their smartphones, compared to 66 per cent globally. 
When it comes to 360° videos, 38 per cent of those experiencing it in the UK do so on their smartphones. This number is 29 per cent when it comes to VR. Despite this, the UK remains slow on the uptake of VR. According to the research, 31 per cent of US consumers and 21 per cent South East Asian consumers are expected to watch more videos in VR over the next year, compared to only nine per cent in the UK.
On the back of this, the industry has plans to keep up with the rise in consumer demands. In the UK, 46 per cent of advertisers are expected to increase mobile ad spend by at least 25 per cent – as opposed to 47 per cent globally. While 61 per cent of publishers are expecting client investments in mobile video to increase by the same amount, compared to 57 per cent globally.
The study also found that advertisers are shifting more money away from TV budgets, with 61 per cent of UK advertisers stating the money is being moved to mobile video.
