Twitter has been conducting research recently with the help of Research Now to figure out how Twitter users currently consume, discover and engage with video. The survey was conducted across 14 countries, and more than 1000 users were surveyed.
Twitter users upload more videos than average American
The study found that around 82% of users watch video content on Twitter, and of these, 82% of them watch on hand-held screens. A total of 90% of video views are on mobile devices according to the micro-blogging firms own internal data. However, Twitter users are not just fond of watching the videos, but are also interested in creating it. Twitter Users are 1.9x more likely to upload a video compared to the average U.S. internet user.
In a blog post, the micro-blogging firm said, “Video is a powerful medium to share stories, evoke emotion and drive action,” adding “our latest research shows, video on Twitter today is mobile, fuels discovery and drives engagement.”
Regarding the type of video that users want more of on Twitter, the research found that around 64% of the users watch breaking news clips, 54% go for live sports shows and 50% of them watch TV. Twitter users also said that they prefer to see more videos from three top sources, 45% for celebrities, 40% other users and 37% for brands. What users love about the platform is the new content that they discover at that moment, and that’s why around 41% of users believe that the platform is a great place to discover videos.
How Twitter is different from YouTube?
There is a wide difference in the way people watch video on YouTube and Twitter. Around 70% of the Twitter users said that they watch the videos that they discover in their timelines, while only 11% say that they search for a particular video on Twitter. For YouTube, it’s the opposite; as only 20% of users say “they only/mostly watch videos that they discover,” while 63% say that they usually search for specific videos on YouTube.
Twitter users are fond of the flawless video viewing experience on the platform. Citing internal data, the micro-blogging firm notes that a native video attracts more overall engagement (2.5X replies, 2.8X Retweets and 1.9X Favorites) compared to third-party videos shared on the platform. Advertisers are also noticing the strong engagement gained by Promoted Videos on Twitter.
