Video
Consumer spending on streaming services will surpass spending on DVD purchases this year, according to one research firm. DVD sales and rentals are in decline, but still represent a larger slice of the video market than digital downloads.
In just five years, one firm projects, revenues from video-on-demand (VOD) subscriptions in Asia-Pacific will more than triple, to $13 billion. Other research suggests the largest share of the region’s viewers are in Japan—and will continue to be.
Research into Malaysia’s online video consumption habits suggests consumers’ time spent watching the format may have hit a plateau, with the country’s users expected to spend slightly less time watching per day in 2017 compared to 2016. A key gap in access to devices like laptops and tablets between Malaysia’s urban and rural areas may help explain the decline.
Subscription streaming giant Netflix is in the midst of a concerted global expansion effort, with the company launching its service in more than 130 new markets in 2016. But even as Netflix expands, it faces consumer challenges in markets such as Indonesia, where unreliable internet access and high rates of piracy may hold back adoption.
Mobile internet users spent 3.9% of their time watching videos on iQiyi, and 3.5% on Tencent video—far more time than they spent on any other video platform in 2015. Both apps are also growing their user bases rapidly.
On one major video ad platform, 60% of all campaigns in Q1 2016 were served across PCs, mobile devices and connected TVs. Only a handful, by contrast, were device-specific.
Some brands place viewability at the top of the marketing totem pole, but for Huawei Technologies, appropriate targeting is paramount in an environment challenged by ad blocking.
Jenna Pelkey, director of global media and marketing strategy at General Electric, talks about how the multinational conglomerate uses digital video tools and platforms to increase brand awareness.
Overall, just 12% of internet users in Japan say they use paid over-the-top (OTT) video services, according to March 2016 research. Though that figure seems low, it’s just 10% less than the respondents who said they use cable TV, and only 5% less than those who use paid satellite TV.
Melinda McLaughlin, CMO of cloud-based enterprise platform Extreme Reach, discusses how the company is working to help clients activate and leverage video ads across all screens.
Over 14 million internet users in France visited sites offering pirated video during a typical month in 2015. Peer-to-peer sites increasingly share this trade in illegal content with direct download sites and streaming services.
Internet users in the Middle East and North Africa have a strong appetite for digital video. According to research from Ipsos Connect, at least half of respondents in each country included in the survey said they watched movies digitally.
A traditional TV set is the most common device to watch video in Germany, and most people are using it to watch traditional TV content. Digital has made big inroads, however—especially smartphones.
US internet users say they learn more about politics from TV than anywhere else, and that TV ads are most likely to influence their voting behavior. But digital video is a growing source of political info</a> as well, and research suggests desktop-based video ads are the leading digital format for political campaigns from the local to the national level.
DVDs are falling out of fashion in the UK. Digital video downloads have played a part in their waning popularity, but streaming is becoming all-conquering, and by 2021 will account for over half of the UK home video market.
Facebook began pushing in-stream video about two years ago, which has led to consumers wanting more viewable and shareable content. Matthew Corbin, head of global product marketing at Facebook, spoke with eMarketer about how brands have capitalized on this, as Facebook optimizes its live streaming capabilities.
Subscription video-on-demand is the fastest-growing segment of in-home video entertainment. But physical formats—such as DVDs—still account for two-thirds of home video sales.
Kathleen Bell, director of marketing at Subway Canada, talks about the sandwich chain's online engagement strategy and the effectiveness of social media cross-promotion.
The top digital video platforms in Sweden are a mix of subscription-based and free services, offering a wide range of different types of programming. March 2016 research shows that YouTube is the clear leader, with more than one-third of internet users in the country on the platform every day.
Netflix continues to grow its user base in the US, with 126.9 million people expected to use it this year, according to eMarketer’s latest forecast on OTT video usage. That equates to 67.9% of OTT video users. Among the OTT service providers eMarketer tracks, only YouTube has more users than Netflix—176.1 million, which equates to 94.3% of OTT users.