Adobe: Mobile Online Video Demand Skyrockets

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Smartphones and tablets aren’t just kicking enterprise mobility initiatives into high gear, they’re also having a big impact on the online video market. New data from Adobe’s “U.S. Digital Video Benchmark” report shows that in 2012, mobile devices like the iPhone and the iPad are fueling record levels of online video consumption.

In a company blog post, Tamara Gaffney, senior marketing manager for Adobe Digital Index, revealed that as online video content continues to gain in popularity, users are turning to smartphone and tablet screens at alarming rates.

“Online digital video content consumption has also ramped up in 2012, growing at a rate of 30 percent [year over year]. Like TV Everywhere, online video consumption growth is related to mobile devices. Online video starts, defined as the initial access of any video, have grown 360% for tablets and 300% for mobile phones in 2012,” wrote Gaffney.

Currently, mobile devices account for over 10 percent of digital video starts, a number that is sure to rise as tablets sales outpace PCs in the coming years.

Adobe analyzed 19.6 billion video starts on media websites, including data from Adobe Marketing Cloud. In the fourth quarter of 2012, the company’s customers pumped out 15 billion video streams, a 13 percent gain over the previous quarter.

Not all mobile viewing experiences are the same, according to the study.

For smartphone users, Mondays, Thursdays and Sundays are the most popular days for viewing online videos. Generally, these videos are on the short side. “Video content watched on smartphones is driven by ‘content snacking,’ such as news, weather, and sports clips. It’s more likely to be consumed outside the home,” stated the report.

Saturdays and Sundays are prime tablet viewing days, says Adobe. Without the risk of using up their data plans, tablet users are indulging in more online video content. According to the report, “Tablet video consumption is more likely to happen at home and through a WiFi connection, as well as consumed in longer periods in a single session.”

There are also signs that social media is helping to fuel the increased demand for online videos.

Video social engagement rose to 70 percent from 42 percent in 2012. Facebook leads in terms of social referrals for video (75 percent). While Twitter trails with just 16 percent, its users are three times more likely to refer to a video than any other type of online content.

Pedro Hernandez is a contributing editor at InternetNews.com, the news service of the IT Business Edge Network, the network for technology professionals. Follow him on Twitter @ecoINSITE.