In its Visual Networking Index Forecast for 2014–2019, Cisco predicts that over half of all IP traffic will originate with non-PC devices by 2019. Tablets and smartphones, Cisco predicts, will grow at a rate of 65 percent, respectively 62 percent by 2019. In addition, traffic from wireless and mobile devices will exceed traffic from wired devices, Wi-Fi, and mobile devices accounting for 66 percent of all IP traffic by 2019.

What is even more relevant is that consumer VoD traffic will double by 2019, HD accounting for 70 percent of IP VoD traffic, a growth from 59 percent in 2014. As trends and predictions indicate, there is currently an increase in VoD for mobile that will maintain steady growth in the following years, and this will likely drive the supply and demand chain of video content on mobile devices worldwide.

Photo source: IAB

According to IAB, mobile apps are the most popular method for accessing video on mobile devices: 48 percent of respondents in the Mobile Video Usage: A Global Perspective survey said they only/mostly use applications when watching mobile video, a trend observed across all regions. People who watch longer videos on mobile devices are more likely to pay for content, with 16 percent of respondents having paid for VoD for mobile so far. In Canada and the US, approximately 25 percent have paid for videos watched on smartphone devices, 26 percent in East Asia, 14 percent in Europe, and 13 percent in Latin America.

Although the majority would like to have access to free, advertised video content, 23 percent say they would be willing to pay, in the form of a monthly subscription fee, for VoD for mobile. Undoubtedly, technological advances, such as streaming possibilities, Wi-Fi availability, larger mobile screens, and video quality have made it possible for people to want to access more video anywhere, anytime, on any device, more so on smartphone devices. And although video has overcome many of the technicalities that could have prevented its growth, there are still challenges that need to be addressed.

Picture quality: 40 percent of viewers say good picture quality is important. Video buffering/streaming: 33 percent of viewers say video buffering/streaming at a fast speed is important.
Sound quality: 32 percent of viewers say that good sound quality is important.
Connection type: 30 percent of viewers say connection via Wi-Fi, not 3G or 4G is important.
Trusted video source: 29 percent of viewers say that it’s important that video came from a trusted source.
HD quality: 25 percent say that video in HD quality is important.

As video on demand is reaching populations all over the world, the need to cater to customer’s needs in native languages becomes more important. Personalization and customized video channels will deliver a more enhanced experience, while content in native languages could drive more subscriptions for on-demand services worldwide.

Respondents in a Vuclip survey conducted for Egypt, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates say they prefer a single over-the-top (OTT) app for finding both regional and international videos, and that they want to be able to navigate videos using their native language. This trend could be highly important in helping the VoD market increase its market share in countries outside the English-speaking ones.