Far too often today content we come across contains an overdose of hyperbole. Be it in the form of a headline and/or the content itself, we are constantly faced with exaggerations gone wild when it comes to the world of marketing, PR and news — particularly if the word mobile is added to the mix.
That being said, I am sure there are some out there who had visions of hyperbole dancing in their heads when they read the title of a recent Business Insider article, sponsored by Ooyala: “We Are Entering The Golden Age Of Mobile Video.”
Usually such lofty praise of “golden age” is reserved for the truly special and monumental type of announcements and pronouncements, right?
The article contains stats found in Ooyala’s Q4 Global Video Index, which I would classify as truly special and monumental.
For example:
- By 2015, 89% of pay-TV service providers would support tablets as part of their multiscreen services; an increase of nearly 90% from today
- Monthly mobile video viewing would increase 65% by 2019
- From Q4 2011 to Q4 2013, the share of time spent watching videos on tablets and mobile devices increased a staggering 719%
- By the end of 2015 the time viewers spend watching video on mobile devices will double over what it is today
In Q1 of 2014, more than 32 million Ustream sessions were initiated via our mobile web, iOs and Android apps. Mobile use has grown leaps and bounds, as the comparative number in 2013 was a fraction of this: 12 million sessions. Further, mobile viewing accounts for nearly 40% of total Ustream viewership, which is significantly higher than many other companies in our space.
The Mobile Enterprise
There is an undeniable and unmistakable shift when it comes to viewing video and mobile. Everything else is going mobile, so why would the Enterprise be any different?
The shift or “transformation” (as StreamingMedia.com refers to it in “The State of Enterprise Video 2014”) is changing everything for enterprise companies — literally.
Enterprise companies need to be able to deliver quality video content across all mobile platforms. And one of the fastest growing video types amongst the enterprise is live. In 2013 alone, more than 1 billion hours of live video was streamed in the workplace according to Wainhouse Research, and the enterprise use of live video is expected to double by the year 2016. Consider these other noteworthy findings from Wainhouse Research:
· Live video viewership in the enterprise today remains largely at the desktop, accounting for 77% versus 23% on mobile
· The proportion of live video viewership taking place at the desktop will fall from 77% in 2013 to a projected 49% of overall viewership in 2017
The bottom line is every form of communication, be it internal or external, is moving to a mobile platform and enterprise webcasting solutions providers better be prepared to deliver else risk getting passed by.
And if anyone thinks the type of mobile device a given viewer uses to consume all this video does not play a role, think again. Tim Siglin’s Streaming Media article, referenced above, sums it up:
In the case of video in the enterprise, employees expect the same ease-of-use and device-viewing options that they have with other forms of media consumption. The trend of BYOD is driven not by corporate largesse but rather by the fact that employees are also consumers, and they find themselves most comfortable with specific devices to consume specific types of content.
From iOS to Android and all possible devices that fall under each umbrella, enterprise webcasting solutions providers must be prepared for anything and everything to ensure each and every viewer has the same video experience — regardless of length of the content. It started with BYOD, and now there’s no turning back.
This article was originally featured on Medium and is being shared here with permission of the author. The original article can be found here.
