Dive Brief:

• Video software company Ooyala released its 2017 Global Video Index and found that long-form video —defined as content lasting longer than 20 minutes — surpassed short-form video in Q1 to dominate all screens, per a press release made available to Marketing Dive.  

• Breaking down the numbers, long-form video accounted for 98% of time spent watching on connected TVs, up from 83% last year; 81% of time spent on tablets, up from 51% last year; 63% of time spent on computers, up from 35% last year; and 55% of time spent on smartphones, up 26% from Q1 2016.

• The report attributes the growth in long-form video watching across all screen sizes to the prevalence of premium content available on all devices. Mobile is also driving growth in over-the-top (OTT), accounting for almost 57% of all video plays in Q1 2017.

Dive Insight:

The Ooyala report highlights how video content and long-form video, in particular, are becoming key parts of the marketing mix and a greater focus for major digital platforms. A number of giants in the space including Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat are pushing into offering more premium, long-form original series, and a few key brands are also steering industry conversation in that direction as consumer demand grows. 

One notable example is Marriott with efforts like its "Two Bellmen" short films, the latest iteration of which ran nearly 40 minutes in length. The IAB also recently found that advertisers' investment in original digital programming has nearly doubled over the past two years and that 80% of executives say they plan to spend more on original digital video in 2017.  

While Ooyala pointed to over-the-top streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Hulu, the lesson for marketers is to not shy away from experimenting with longer video formats. Longer video allows for more storytelling possibilities and also gives marketers an opportunity to include greater entertainment value with their brand messaging.