European viewers watch more mobile sports content

Viewers in Europe, particularly Great Britain, watch more online sports content via mobile than those in the rest of the world.

That’s according to Ooyala’s Q3 2016 Global Video Index, which also highlights that mobile viewing now represents over half (52%) of all video views, and that consumers are watching more mid- to long-form content on any device, regardless of screen size.

A year ago, Ireland was the only market that saw the share of sports video views on mobile devices pass 50%. Today, 50% or more is the norm, globally. Great Britain, specifically, now sees 59% of sports video plays on mobile devices. As of Q3, Great Britain now outpaces the average of mobile sports viewing in all of Europe, 54%, the average in the United States, 52%, and the global average, 49%.

The new report shows fan engagement with a popular European football club across a 45-day period year-over-year. The average daily baseline of video plays increased nearly 70% in 2016, with the maximum number of plays more than doubling.

This growth is more notable after the home team wins a match. After a win, the club averages nearly 100% more video plays today than it did last year. More so, after a win against an historic rival, video plays jump more than 230%. This shows sports providers have a tremendous opportunity to publish more content after wins to maximise fan engagement and revenue as fans flock to video for game highlights and player interviews.

Meanwhile, more than*52% of all video views were on mobile devices*this quarter. This is the second consecutive quarter that mobile made up more than half of all online viewing. Since Q3 2013, mobile video views have increased more than 233%, outpacing the growing penetration rate of mobile devices globally as viewers spend more time watching video on the small screen.

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% of their time on mid- to long-form content, up more than 23% from last year, while viewers on computers spend 57%, a 43% year-over-year increase. Connected TV users consume the most, watching mid- to long-form content 97% of the time, a 73% increase since 2015.

“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.”