Vuclip Global Video Insights 2015 shows Malaysian consumers want fuss-free entertainment

Vuclip, the mobile video-on-demand (VOD) service for emerging markets, has released the findings of its Global Video Insights (GVI) 2015 Survey that shows the video consumption habits and device preferences of Malaysian consumers:

Source: Vuclip. Prakash.

Malaysian consumers consider as many as seven features as must-haves in an OTT content player, with a smooth user interface (61%), buffer-free experience (58%), high definition video quality (56%), and the latest/fresh videos (54%) as the top four. Respondents identify an additional three factors as important: autonomy in selecting streaming quality (47%), video download features (46%) and ability to download multiple videos at the same time (45%).

“Our survey shows that consumers consistently want a smooth and fuss-free entertainment experience. One factor that stood out is the need for the latest and freshest videos. With hundreds of hours of video content uploaded online every minute, to a multitude of video sites, consumers want to be entertained by the newest and best videos. OTT providers need to be able to provide the most relevant and best content for their viewers,” said Arun Prakash, Vuclip’s Chief Operating Officer.

The survey also covered Malaysian consumers’ general video consumption habits. They typically prefer to use their laptops or PCs when viewing video content (45%), followed by smartphones (23%), televisions (23%) and tablets (9%), with half of all respondents stating that they view videos on laptops/PCs and smartphones daily.

Mobile devices are the preferred device when viewing "short form" content, or content with a run time of less than 10 minutes (84%, as compared with 70% for laptops/PCs and 17% for television). Television and laptops/PCs lead for long form content (93% and 71% respectively), such as films and videos with a run time of more than 10 minutes.

Eight in 10 (82%) of respondents indicate they download videos, with free videos from websites preferred (62%), followed by torrents (44%); only 15% purchased videos online. These videos are likely comedies, the top genre at about 60%, followed by action and sports for males, and romance and drama for females.

The results also show that Malaysian consumers use Wi-Fi to access the Internet on mobile devices (43%), as compared to 3G (32%) and 4G (22%) connections. Viewing of videos on smartphones is primarily done at home (80%), or where there is free Wi-Fi (50%). At the same time, the survey highlights slow download speeds or buffering (56%), high data consumption (56%) and battery drainage (47%) as key concerns around smartphone video consumption in Malaysia.

“The modern video consumer in Malaysia wants early access to their favourite quality videos. We see that Malaysians tend to get around network constraints by viewing content at free Wi-Fi locations or downloading videos. These are likely reasons why longer form content is viewed at home rather than on the go,” Prakash noted.

*Methodology: Vuclip’s Global Video Insights 2015

The data for preparing the Vuclip Global Video Insights 2015 report was collected by conducting a comprehensive online survey of 4,600 individuals in 10 countries. There were 500 respondents from Malaysia. The participants for this study consisted of 18- to 35-year-old smartphone Internet users who viewed videos on their smartphones at least once a month. Additionally, geographic representation from different parts of each country was ensured. Users were provided multiple-choice questions and had the option to opt out. No incentives were provided for responding. The 10 participating countries are Malaysia, India, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, the Philippines, Indonesia, the US, the UK, Singapore and Australia.