by Daisy Whitney , Op-Ed Contributor, January 13, 2017

The anytime/anywhere video consumption behavior of Millennials is driving the changing landscape of media. Over-the-top viewing has become mainstream, along with mobile device watching, according to a new report from Ooyala detailing the digital video market in 2017.

To be sure, as an online video technology firm, Ooyala has skin in the game; it benefits from new media habits. Nonetheless, the report’s findings are worth a closer look.

A few key data points underscore the clear shift. Ooyala found that 41% of U.S. adults said they plan to cut back or cut the pay-TV cord in the next year. Also, in the third quarter, more than 52% of all video views were generated on mobile devices. Those twin findings provide directional insight into behavior patterns.

Ooyala noted that on average, consumers around the globe watch four more hours of mobile video per week than they did four years ago. As small screen usage shoots up, TV viewing time has dipped by 2.5 hours each week, Ooyala said.

advertisement advertisement

The fact that more consumers are comfortable watching long-form content on a mobile screen suggests that the viewing shift will easily continue over the next year. “Consumers, particularly younger ones, are continuing to flee live and scheduled linear TV and are becoming more used to time-shifted TV, a hallmark of the OTT video-on-demand experience,” Ooyala said in the report.

In fact, standalone apps and services are faring better than TV Everywhere, and they’re easier to use. They don’t require authentication by the viewer, and that can make for a more seamless user experience.

By 2020, Ooyala predicts the U.S. will count nearly 98 million homes with connected TVs. That’s another sign of the changing nature of the viewing landscape, since those homes stream most of their viewing content.