Report: Video Viewing on Digital Screens Outpaces TV in China

BEIJING: In China, multiscreen users are spending significantly more time watching video on digital screens than watching TV, according to a new report from Millward Brown.

The AdReaction: Video Creative in a Digital World report finds that China's video habits are significantly ahead of those in the rest of the world, where live and on-demand TV viewing equals digital screen time for video content. Millward Brown reports that Chinese consumers watch more than four hours of video each day, with 62 percent of that time on smartphone, tablet and laptop and just 38 percent on live and on-demand TV.

Total video viewing time globally was 204 minutes a day, compared to 243 minutes in China, with smartphones providing just under an hour of viewing, tablets 49 minutes, on-demand TV 48 minutes and laptops 43 minutes. Live TV viewing was 44 minutes, which is 22 minutes or 14 percent below the global average; all other types of viewing were ahead of the global figures with tablet viewing 29 minutes or 11 percent ahead.

Globally, half of video viewing (102 minutes) is on TV, one-third is now conducted via mobile devices (45 minutes on smartphone, 20 minutes on tablet), and the remainder (37 minutes) is viewed on laptops or PCs.

"It is now possible to reach consumers at scale through multiple video channels but brands need to be wary of simply applying old-school TV thinking to a sophisticated and digitally savvy Chinese video audience," said Mark Henning, the head of media and digital at Millward Brown. "The learnings from AdReaction Video will help marketers create content that consumers love for the right device and the right time. Given the low receptivity for video advertising across all screens in this market, it's essential that marketers get this right if they want to engage consumers."