While consumers in Saudi Arabia continue to spend more of their time online, Snap Inc. has released a new study highlighting the changing role that mobile video plays in the lives of next-generation consumers.
The National Research Firm, an independent market research organization, was commissioned by Snap Inc, which is the parent company of social media platform Snapchat, to perform a study. The key aim of the study is to learn how Gen Z (born between 1995 and 2015) and millennials (born between 1981 and 1995) interact with this growing medium of entertainment and what to expect as we enter a new period of mobile-first experience.
The new study explores how the demand for mobile content with TV-quality is rising faster than ever, thanks to the increasing demand for interactive storytelling, shared cultural moments and high production values made for mobile and shot in a vertical display.
Unsurprisingly, almost all consumers tune into some form of video on their phones every day, and 87% of consumers watch more content on their smartphone than they did a year ago, finds the study.
Also, 96% of the respondents said that the video that fills the screen vertically looks more intimate while 94% found it to be more immersive in nature.
Saudi Arabia outpaces other countries in terms of time spent on entertainment. In the region, users spend an average of 4 hours and 5 minutes for entertainment on their smartphones, compared to the average of 1 hour and 58 minutes spent watching TV each day.
With mobile media proving more popular in Saudi Arabia than any other medium, now is the time for brands to transition into an exciting new space that offers higher engagement and better payoffs. Hussein Freijeh, MENA Regional Director – Snap Inc.
Full-length TV or video series is too much of a time commitment for 90% of consumers. Premium mobile videos are tapping into this thought and are now creating TV-like moments, powered by a smartphone’s intimacy.
Consumers turn to short-form video as it suits their schedules and time obligations. 96% of millennials and 94% of Gen Zs and 96% of millennials say that short-form premium content fits well into their day and also makes them feel like part of a larger group.
Media consumption has risen on any form of the screen since the pandemic. COVID-19 is accelerating mobile trends as the study shows viewers spend twice as much time watching mobile content as they do with Television, and 45 minutes more than they do on desktops, laptops, or tablets in 2020, with mobile consumption expected to continue to surge in coming years.
94% of Gen Z and Millennial consumers claim that during the difficult period of lockdown mobile video has helped them deal with new anxieties while remaining physically apart from loved ones.
Short-form premium content is also preferred by 9 out of 10 users to get their daily news feed, the study says.
