Zenith: online video viewing to climb 20% in 2017

Online video viewing will climb by 20% this year, driven by an increase in people tuning in on smartphones and tablets, according to new research by Zenith Media.

The Publicis Media-owned ad agency estimates that global consumers will spend an average of 47.4 minutes a day viewing videos online this year, up from 39.6 minutes in 2016.

Viewing on mobile devices is expected to increase by 35% to 28.8 minutes per day, while viewing on ‘fixed devices’ – desktop PCs, laptops and smart TVs – will increase just 2% to 18.6 minutes per day.

“2017 will be the peak year of fixed-device video, which global consumers will spend an average of 19 minutes a day viewing,” according to the report.

“Viewing on smart TVs continues to rise, but not rapidly enough to compensate for the decline in viewing on desktops and laptops, as consumers shift their attention to mobile devices.”

Zenith forecasts that viewing on fixed devices will shrink 1% in 2018 and 2% in 2019, while mobile video viewing will grow 25% in 2018 and 29% in 2019.

The report claims that by 2019, mobile devices will account for 72% of all online video viewing – up from 61% this year.

However fixed video ad spend is expected to outpace mobile video ad spend this year at US$15.2 billion and US$12.0 billion respectively.

“Online video gives brands the opportunity to use powerful digital technologies to engage with consumers as individuals, not demographics, in the sort of high-engagement environment that makes television advertising so effective for brand-building,” said Zenith’s global brand president, Vittorio Bonori.

“Television and online video and television work well together as complements, the former offering reach and shared experiences, and the latter offering targeting and personalisation.”

The findings were published in the third edition of Zenith’s annual Online Video Forecasts, which covers 63 key markets around the world.