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Brightcove Launches New Quarterly Video Index Report, An In-depth Analysis of Consumer Behavior at the Root of OTT Growth

BOSTON, September 24, 2019 - Brightcove Inc. (NASDAQ: BCOV), the leading provider of cloud services for video, today published the Q2 Brightcove Global Video Index, a report that analyzes hundreds of millions of recent data points to provide insights into how viewers are watching video content, which devices they are using, and what types of content they are consuming across these various devices.

Mobile consumption surges 
The report findings show that 53% of global video views begin on mobile devices, smartphones, and tablets, taking away share from traditional desktop computers. Smartphones saw the highest growth, to 45% from 38% only one year ago. In emerging markets, especially Asia Pacific (APAC), mobile is king, where a whopping 84% of all plays were on mobile phones, and with Japan/Korea at 58%. In the Middle East and Africa, smartphone share was 57%. In every region but the Americas (U.S. and Canada), mobile devices took share away from desktop computers.

“Leveraging mobile video continues to be crucial for OTT providers, as they look to not only reach younger viewers – who traditionally have been mobile first – but also older viewers who have discovered that mobile video is a convenient way to consume content outside the home,” said Jim O’Neill, Principal Analyst, Brightcove. “The amount of content being consumed on mobile devices has more than doubled over the past year.  This is largely due to the fact that content owners and distributors are making premium content available to consumers anywhere, any time, and on any device. This growth will continue as more content – especially high-value sports content – becomes more prevalent and easily accessible on mobile devices.” 

iOS vs Android 
The dominance of iOS on mobile devices has eroded in the past year with video viewed on Android devices are now more prevalent in four regions, versus iOS devices dominant in only three. Globally, Android smartphone share has increased to 68% from 59% one year ago, with iOS remaining dominant for tablet plays. Android use is highest in APAC, where 92% of video plays are on Android phones and tablets. Europe is the next highest with 70% of video plays on Android devices. Only Japan/Korea continues to see growth in iOS.

Engagement patterns by device
Continuing a recent trend, long-form video (21-40 minutes) and ultra-long-form video (41+ minutes) saw faster growth in the share of “time watched” on every device, from connected TVs to smartphones. Ultra-long-form content took the highest total share of “time watched” across all devices, despite short-form video (0-5 minutes) having the highest number of assets published.

The increasing quality of delivery to mobile devices, cheaper data plans, and more affordable Android smartphones from China have had a significant impact on how content is consumed.

“Mobile is no longer dominated by snackable content – instead, it provides a multi-course meal to consumers,” O’Neill said, “At the International Broadcasting Conference (IBC) earlier this month, the discussion has changed from what’s included broadly in the content mix to delivering content direct-to-consumers with more personalization and fewer limitations.”

For more insight into the OTT industry and video consumer behavior, download the full Video Index Report here: www.brightcove.com/en/video-index

About the Global Video Index
The Global Video Index aggregates anonymous data from Brightcove’s media customers globally. The report covers worldwide data trends, as well as break through regional trends for the Americas, Europe, Middle East/Africa, Latin America, Japan/Korea, Australia/New Zealand, and Asia Pacific.

About Brightcove
Brightcove Inc. (NASDAQ:BCOV) is the leading global provider of powerful cloud solutions for managing, delivering, and monetizing video experiences on every screen. A pioneering force in the world of online video since the company’s founding in 2004, Brightcove’s award-winning technology, unparalleled services, extensive partner ecosystem, and proven global scale have helped thousands of companies in over 70 countries achieve better business results with video. To learn more, visit www.brightcove.com.