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The Next Phase of Television

by Paul McDonald | Apr 27, 2018 | Media

“Watching television” is a thing of the past. Now, we “consume video.” Every electronic device we own is now a potential video viewing screen, and the transition from traditional “linear” viewing is happening much more quickly than was predicted even as late as a year ago.

Online video viewing has increased dramatically in the recent past. Facebook Live and Instagram Stories, for example, have both experienced phenomenal growth in viewership in the last few years. One report says that 75% of the world’s mobile data traffic will be video by 2020.

One of the most common reasons given in a recent Facebook survey for this transition to online video is the convenience of viewing on mobile devices. Videos online tend to be short and can be easily viewed anywhere at any time. A second reason given was that there is a greater sense of communal sharing and engagement with friends because of the ability to interact with the videos and comment throughout. Traditional television viewing is considered less engaging and therefore more passive.

Also interesting in this survey was the discovery that a significant percentage of online viewing was happening in the home; much higher than any other location. And more viewing of online content is happening on the traditional television monitor. Which is why we are seeing online content providers, like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon beginning to create original long-form content to compete with traditional television. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are all making deals with leading production companies to create original long-form content for their platforms. And they are also streaming more live events.

Here are some other statistics that are interesting to note:

  1. One in three adults ages 18 to 54 use their smartphone as their primary device for watching online video
  2. People use different screens for different viewing: entertainment and pop culture generally on the smartphone, and news and sports more often on the TV
  3. 85% of Facebook videos are watched without sound
  4. Nearly two-thirds of consumers prefer video under 60 seconds
  5. 72% of millennials do not rotate their phones to watch a video
  6. 82% of Twitter users watch video content on Twitter
  7. Among millennials, YouTube accounts for two-thirds of the premium online video watching across devices

What does all this mean? For one, online media will more than likely be the dominant choice for video consumption in the not-too-distant future. Also, viewing media online is a different experience from viewing traditional linear media. There are many options for increased creativity, but beware new pitfalls that come with the new territory. Re-purposing video from one platform to another can work in some circumstances, but new platforms will require re-thinking as to how to create your videos to be the most effective for that platform.

Consider carefully where you want to offer your video. Then consider how to produce your video to be the most effective on the platform(s) you have chosen. Ultimately, you will reap the rewards, with higher engagement and more impact with your viewing audience.

Let Infinity Concepts help you to plan and deliver your video content!

Paul McDonald
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