People now watch more online video on iPads — and on Saturday nights [Study]

Do you spend your Saturday nights curled up with your new iPad, watching the latest episode of your favourite TV series or flitting through YouTube like the power user you are?

No? Well, you’re in the minority, according to the latest global online video statistics from Ooyala. The recent study of over 200 million users worldwide showed that people aren’t just watching three minute videos of cats — they’re watching more long form video, more often, on a variety of platforms.

Half of the time users spend watching video online is spent watching videos longer than 10 minutes. It varies depending on the device — smartphone users spend more time watching shorter one to three minute videos than those using smart TVs, for example — but it’s still a significant overall increase from the end of 2011.

It seems tablets are gaining traction as a major platform for viewing online video too. After the new iPad (and iOS 5.1) was released in March, tablet viewing grew by 26%. Interestingly, it seems that people are using their tablets to watch video before work (on the commute to the office, maybe?) switching to PCs during the day and returning to their tablets after 6pm.

Saturday night (yes, really) is prime time for people with Smart TVs or a set top box — they watch a third more video on that night than they do during the week.  But more viewers are watching more video through connected TVs in general — the number of people watching online videos longer than 10 minutes on TVs and game consoles more than doubled since the end of last year.

Planning to advertise during online video, or produce your own series? This infographic has all the key findings and some suggestions on how to take advantage of the current trends.

Infographic courtesy of Ooyala