Content Consumption – Mobile Web Traffic Worldwide
According to data revealed in a new report, YouTube drives 37% of all mobile web traffic.
The report from Sandvine elaborates which apps generate the most downstream mobile web traffic in the world.
Traffic is measured in megabytes, which could explain why YouTube has such a commanding lead over other applications.
FUN FACT – About 2 billion people tune in to YouTube every month, watching over 5 billion videos every single day.
By comparison, Facebook accounts for only 8.4% followed by Snapchat at 8.3% of mobile web traffic. The surprise factor here is Netflix, which accounts for the most internet traffic overall, only manages 2.4% when it comes to mobile.
Here is a complete list of apps mentioned in the report along with their share of mobile web traffic:
- YouTube – 37%
- Facebook – 8.4%
- Snapchat – 8.3%
- Instagram – 5.7%
- Web browsing – 4.6%
- Facebook video – 2.5%
- Netflix – 2.4%
- WhatsApp – 3.7%
- App Store – 2.1%
- Google Play – 1.9%
- Others – 23.4%
Users are consuming more content (per megabyte) on YouTube than on any other app. This includes social media and other video apps like Netflix.
Also interestingly enough Snapchat accounts for the almost same amount of mobile traffic as Facebook, irrespective of having a considerably smaller user base.
The most likely cause of this is the video-centric nature of Snapchat. Club Facebook video and Facebook numbers together and its a game-changer.
Coming back to Netflix – People clearly enjoy watching video on their phones; So how is it that Netflix so far down the list?
Well, the major factor is Netflix is a paid platform. Having said that, this data says more about the types of video users prefer to watch on mobile devices. Netflix consumers are likelier to binge premium series for longer durations on non-mobile screens from the comfort of WiFi.
While YouTube’s grasp on the internet is irrefutable, looks like Short-form video content is king on the mobile web, whereas full-length movies and shows are better suited for laptops, computer and TV screens.
