Mobile Video Users are Diverse, Growing

While overall mobile video is growing quickly, it's growing across a variety of platforms, reports MediaPost.

The findings come from a study by Knowledge Networks/SRI. Overall mobile video consumption by people using laptop computers is up 40 percent. Similar percentages of people watch videos on their iPods as those who watch on their cellphones: eight and six percent, respectively.

But the length of the videos varies greatly. iPod watchers view more long-form video, with 53 percent of sessions lasting over 30 minutes. The average length of time for cellphone viewers was less than five minutes. Full-length movie-watching on iPods jumped to 54 percent this year, up from just one percent last year.

The report's authors believe the difference may be caused, at least in part, by where the video is typically retrieved. iPods must be synced with a computer, so viewing behavior more closely resembles that done on the PC. Cell phone video, on the other hand, is downloaded or streamed straight to the device.

There's also the difference in the device's overall intent and purpose that likely plays a role in determining usage.

For advertisers, the study offers a mixed bag. Four out of five mobile video users are said to be open to watching ads in exchange for free content. But only 30 percent said the ads they've viewed are relevant to them personally.

The report's authors say advertisers need to do a better job of taking advantage of the micro-targeting capabilities mobile video offers in order to increase that percentage.