Advertisers Succeeding With Mobile Video and Programmatic Buys

Has the online video industry reached the end of the beginning?

The marquee stats from the just-released Ooyala Q2 2015 Global Video Index are that 44 percent of all video plays and 49 percent of all ad impressions for publishers are now on mobile devices, but the numbers tell a deeper story than that—one that suggests a new maturity in the industry. Consumers are more comfortable watching all types of content on phones and tablets (although they prefer tablets and connected TVs for longer-form content). Viewers aged 2 to 12 opt for a mobile device 57 percent of the time, since being able to take the screen where they want gives them a sense of independence.

Advertisers are taking note that mobile is the way to reach viewers, especially the young, so ad impression on mobile grew to 30 percent (from 28 percent the previous year). The share of ad impressions on computers, meanwhile, dropped to 47 percent from 54 percent. Ad completion rates are strong across all devices for premium video from broadcasters, and are only slightly lower for publisher videos. The strongest completion rate—77 percent—came from viewers using tablets to watch broadcaster video.

Ooyala saw revenue from programmatic video increase 119 percent from March to June for 40 advertisers using its Ooyala Pulse SSP programmatic trading solution. Large brands and advertisers are getting more comfortable buying premium inventory through private programmatic markets, Ooyala finds.

With those trends in motion, Ooyala suggests that online video might now be at "the end of the beginning": still in early days, but now more mature and confident. "Perhaps we can agree we're no longer just getting started, but banding together as an industry to move the TV experience into the more mobile, more personalized future," the report says.

For more, download the Ooyala Q2 2015 Global Video Index for free (registration required).

Troy Dreier's article first appeared on OnlineVideo.net