Connected consumers across APAC are watching more video content than ever before, according to the findings from Kantar TNS’s Connected Life study into the behaviours of Internet users across the globe. The study shows that people are consuming a wide variety of online video – from online TV or subscription services like Netflix, to free video on platforms such as YouTube and via social content that appears in their social feeds.

Rising Internet connectivity has driven an increase in content consumption, with Internet users watching an average of 1.6 hours of online video content daily. Singaporeans are the most active, consuming 2 hours every day. The results reveal that traditional, live-broadcast TV content is still alive and well, with 77 per cent of connected consumers in Asia Pacific still tuning into traditional TV, watching on average 2 hours every day. This online video consumption is incremental, meaning that people are watching it in addition to their existing TV viewing habits.

According to Zoë Lawrence, APAC Digital Director at Kantar TNS, the study shows that there is a strong appetite for video content online, consumed when and where people want to watch it. “Brands should no longer think about targeting traditional TV primetime, but identify ‘primetime’ for their brand,” she advised.

Connected Life data showed that free online video, such as YouTube, is watched by a large proportion of connected consumers daily, with Cambodian Internet users watching the most at 94 per cent, followed by Hong Kong (84 per cent) and China (78 per cent). Two thirds (62 per cent) of people online are also watching videos that appear on their social feed, either from brands, news sources or their friends. Connected consumers in mobile-first markets are consuming a lot of video in this way, with 93 per cent of Internet consumers in Cambodia watching social video daily, 80 per cent in Malaysia and 69 per cent in Vietnam. Digital channels are allowing one in three (32 per cent) connected consumers to access on-demand channels, allowing them to catch up on broadcast TV content online. Some are also using paid-for subscription services such as Netflix, viewed by 11 per cent daily across the region.

The type of content that people are seeking out is also evolving. Popular video content no longer has to be professionally produced, with one in three (33 per cent) connected consumers saying that most of the content that they watch online is produced by ‘people like me’ or celebrities. People are also open to video content from brands, with 27 per cent of connected consumers watching this on a weekly basis.

Many assume it’s only young people who are spending a lot of time watching online content, however older generations are not getting left behind. The results revealed that 55 – 65 year olds in emerging markets in Asia Pacific watch an average of 1.4 hours of content in comparison to 1.7 hours for those aged 16 – 24, highlighting how these channels can be used to reach a broader group.

“There’s been an explosion in the consumption of online ‘on-demand’ viewing across Asia Pacific, creating new media moments that didn’t exist in a traditional marketing world,” said Lawrence. “Online video provides brands with an opportunity to tell their story in a different way; we’re seeing a lot of brands succeed with long-format video and also great creative work that overcomes some of the challenges of video in a social feed. If the content is good enough, people will watch it. Brands now know that simply putting their TVC online will not work; they need to develop content that works well within the context of the online channel they are using.”

<!–enpproperty 2016-11-21 08:07:37.0Zhu ChuanxinOnline video dramas out to find their nicheonline video,dramas,report11011501Op-Ed Contributors2@webnews/enpproperty–>

The loading homepage of iQiyi is displayed on a smartphone. [Photo/IC]

Once shot for commercial promotions and coupled with cheesy jokes, Chinese online video dramas now appear to be flourishing thanks to China’s booming « Internet Plus » economy. According to a recent report on video series made by video websites such as Youku Tudou and iQiyi, an estimated 2,000 episodes will be produced by the end of this year, taking the 2016 total to more than 5,000, almost 250 times the figure in 2009.

Like other internet-based cultural products, online video dramas, despite borrowing heavily from traditional TV series－from narratives to promotional tactics－have also made notable progress in terms of innovation and creativity. In fact, many of them have managed to get rid of such dependence and can co-exist with the dramas broadcast by TV channels.

The themes of online video dramas, for one, cater to a diverse audiences, as unlike the TV audience, online video viewers－based on their age, education level and appreciation aptitude－have vastly different preferences.

Video sites have an inclination to make dramas that are either sensational－with solving of crimes involved－or about adolescent love, a favorite with many youngsters. That, to some extent, has led to vulgar, crude plagiarism, and even obscure attempts to overstep the boundaries of film and TV series management. But the poorly produced shows now face stricter scrutiny and have little chance of reaching viewers.

On platforms, once co-produced by online video companies and TV stations to supplement the latter, online video series are getting rid of their dependence on traditional media vehicles. Many of them are now exclusive to online users and available only on online streaming sites, with offline producers and broadcasters playing a limited role in the productions.

The change is in line with the rise of the internet and the growing independence of online video enterprises. The ever-changing appetite of netizens for entertainment also serves as the key gauge for online video producers.

Another noteworthy change is the way video sites make money. Traditionally, advertising revenue made up most of their earnings. But now they are asking viewers to pay membership fees to enjoy the luxury of watching certain online video dramas, and an increasing number of viewers are willing to do so. That would effectively incentivize video sites to provide better, more tailored products to their paid users.

So now, competition among online video producers is no longer about copyrights of traditional TV series, but about the content and quality of their own products. Moreover, compared with their traditional TV dramas, whose total number reached 16,540 episodes last year, the independently made online video dramas have great potential and market value that remain untapped.

Given the required policy support, management and television talents, the industry is expected to prosper even without replicating the success of traditional TV series or pursuing sensationalism.

The author is a lecturer at the Communication University of China.