Mobile and tablet video views more than double

Mobile and tablet video plays increased 133% between September 2012 and September 2013, according to new research by video streaming, analytics and monetisation firm Ooyala.

The Q3 2013 Global Video Index claims that though mobile viewing levelled off in the quarter “due to seasonal factors,” the overall share of mobile and tablet video views increased by 74% since January.

Ooyala, which claims to track the viewing habits of nearly 100 million unique viewers in more than 130 countries every month, also said that mobile accounted for 9.2% of streaming video views and tablet accounted for 6.4% of all online video plays.

“Live video continues to dominate video-on-demand (VOD). In Q3, PC viewers were drawn in by live linear streaming, breaking news, sports and special events, watching live video for 30 minutes on average, which is 11 times longer than VOD.  Audiences on Smart TVs, gaming consoles and set-top-boxes watched live video nine times longer than video-on-demand, for an average of 46 minutes per play,” said the report.

Ooyala found that tablet viewers spent 25% of their viewing time watching videos that were more than 60 minutes long, while smart TV viewers spent nearly 33% of their time doing the same.

The news comes as Ooyala announced it has raised US$43 million in funding from Australian telco Telstra.

Ooyala said it will use the funds to accelerate engineering efforts around its video streaming and analytics platform, and to support its domestic and international growth.