India consumed 10pc of all global video ads in 2017

PUNE, INDIA: India has become the fourth largest consumer of mobile video ads in 2017, consuming 10% of all global video ads after US (22%), Indonesia (12%), and China (11%), according to a report by InMobi.

This despite India accounting for 3% of global mobile video spends while for US it stands at an impressive 49%.

What’s amazing is that in 2016 India’s share of the market was a mere 3% which jumped to 10% in 2017. This surge has been attributed to telecom operators dropping their rates sharply with the entry of Jio.

Santosh Saraf, CTO of Streamerium, which focuses on online video streaming platform based on Blockchain technology, said, “With the dominance of mobile over desktop, there is no doubt where the traffic is shifting. The availability of cheaper phones and access to high-speed internet at nominal cost are driving the demand for mobile videos. Accompanied by peoples’ preference to watch videos on-the-go, Mobile video ad will surge ahead in the next couple of quarters and the latest report reinforces this fact.”

The report also highlighted that 80% of all web traffic comes from mobile, and travel and retail apps have become the most downloaded apps by Indians.

There has been an upsurge in video content too, and by 2021 it is predicted that 75% of India's mobile data traffic will be from videos.

“As consumers increasingly depend on their mobile devices, Mobile first approach has become the de facto trend for brands. With these optimizing ads or content for mobile needs to become an integral part of the strategy,” he further adds.

However, what needs to be kept in mind is mobile is a different ball game compared to TV. The longer TV-style adverts will not work on mobile which requires shorter and snappier formats.

Demographics of video audience not only include the baby boomers, but older generation too is fast catching up.

It is also expected that in 2018, another 31% of advertisers plan to invest in mobile video and brands across industry verticals.

According to the report sectors in India producing the most mobile ads include tech, food & beverage, m-commerce, retail, delivery services, consumer electronics, and finance.