Mobile video can take many forms. Video-on-demand has become increasingly popular, with Netflix ranking as one of the most used iPhone apps in the UK in 2020 as more and more viewers want access to their favorite series and films while on the move. But with attention spans getting shorter, videos are getting shorter too. And it’s short-form video content which has really taken off in recent years, both user-generated and professional productions. One example of this is TikTok. The social video-sharing app was being used by 8.7 percent of smartphone users by the end of 2019, and the penetration rate among the younger demographic was even higher.
With the highest penetration rate of any social network in the UK, YouTube is top dog when it comes to mobile video content. Roughly one in five use YouTube several times a day in the UK. The most popular celebrity channel on YouTube in terms of number of views is singer Ed Sheeran.
Mobile video advertising revenue has increased in line with consumption. Digital ad spending on video accounted for 1.32 billion British pounds in the first half of 2019. However, people still have mixed feelings about video ads. In 2018, just under 75 percent of respondents to a survey in the UK said they had a negative attitude towards ads in online video clips.
