Mobile to drive 20% increase in online video consumption in 2016

How much more content can we watch? New findings from ZenithOptimedia suggest the average amount time people will spend consuming online video each day will increase by 23.3% in 2015 and by a further 19.8% in 2016.

The growth in video consumption is being driven by the rapid rise of smartphone and tablet penetration across the globe, together with the resulting changes in consumer behaviour. Video consumption on mobile devices is forecast to grow by 43.9% in 2015 and 34.8% in 2016.

Meanwhile, video consumption on non-mobile devices will continue to grow, though at more moderate rates, increasing by 9.5% in 2015 and 6.5% in 2016.

ZenithOptimedia expects mobile to become the main platform for viewing online video next year. In 2012 mobile devices accounted for 22.9% of time spend watching online video worldwide.

By 2014, this proportion had risen to 40.1%, and Zenith expects it to reach 52.7% in 2016 and 58.1% in 2017.

ZenithOptimedia also predicts that the number of people regularly watching traditional, linear TV will peak this year, and will start to decline for the first time in 2016.

The report states that the number of regular linear TV viewers will rise 3.1% in 2015 but then shrink by 1.9% in 2016 and 0.9% in 2017.