Long-form video viewing on digital devices has achieved ubiquity, says Lauren Weinberg, VP Strategic Research & Insights at Yahoo, in this interview with Beet.TV. More than 90% of consumers in all age groups from 13 to 54 now watch long-form video on digital devices, according to a study of online consumers conducted in the fall by search giant Yahoo.
For many teens and millenials, watching TV and movies on digital screens is quickly replacing viewing them on the TV, the study found. The size of the screen plays a role, Weinberg tells us. Nearly half of consumers watch long-form content on their smartphones. As tablet size increases for phones, so does the viewing of video on those screens, she says. “We are seeing triple digit growth in terms of the time being spent when we compare typical smartphone devices to ‘phablets’ in categories such as sports, entertainment and news,” she says.
The Yahoo study also found that long-form TV viewing is rising on connected TVs, with about 80% of consumers saying they now watch long-form video in such a fashion. In general, viewers prefer shorter ads on digital devices. Even so, brands have ample opportunity to experiment with new ad forms. “As more original content comes online, that offers brands unique opportunities for integration and to get creative in ways that might have been more limited when they were on TV,” she says.
