Users of mobile devices began to watch video less often in online theaters, Vympelcom found out. In January-February, the number of unique visitors to such services decreased by 22% compared to the same period in 2017. Market participants explain this by the growing popularity of YouTube and Rutube video hosting sites, as well as viewing features: it is more convenient to consume long video content from large screens.

The mobile audience of online cinemas is decreasing, follows from the report of the cellular operator VimpelCom (Beeline brand). The number of unique users of such services in January-February decreased by 22% compared to the same period last year, while the amount of traffic did not change. In total, in early 2018, online cinemas were visited by 28% of unique mobile Internet users among the subscribers of this operator. Most often they used instant messengers (72% of the total number of mobile Internet subscribers), social networks (71%), videohosting (66%) and navigators (53%).

Among streaming services, the mobile audience is reduced only by online cinemas. The video hosts YouTube and Rutube have a unique number of users at the level of last year, while subscribers increased traffic by 20%, the report says. The attendance of music services is also growing, their audience has increased by 8%, and traffic - by 19%.

VimpelCom explains the decline in the number of unique visitors to online theaters, the growing popularity of video hosting, the expansion of the age group of the latter and the appearance of new content in them. In addition, with mobile devices, users are accustomed to watching short content that can be consumed on the go, and in the case of long content of online theaters it is more convenient to use large screens. Therefore, the reduction of mobile viewing is a move towards larger screens, the representative of VimpelCom believes. The growth of traffic per user in the company is connected with the development of VoD-services, including their advisory systems, the growing interest in nonlinear viewing of films and serials, as well as the legalization of content and the closure of pirated services, Vimpelcom adds.

MTS reminds that in recent years there has been a trend towards a decrease in the screen from which users watch TV and video content: the popularity of viewing from the TV was reduced due to the growth of viewing from computers, then from tablets and then from smartphones. Now the trend is turning in the opposite direction, confident in MTS. The ability to watch not only TV channels on TV, but also movies, TV shows, cartoons, choosing convenient time and format of viewing, again returns popularity to home viewing. For example, the number of users of the application "MTS TV" through Smart TV, Apple TV, Android TV and Google Chromecast has grown over the past year by 60%, noted in the MTS.

But online cinemas do not confirm the decline of mobile viewing. Okko's share of views from mobile devices in the first three months of 2018 was 1.13%, in the same period last year - 2.52%. However, the total number of views increased by 20%. "Looking at mobile devices is steadily growing, but the growth rates on other platforms are much higher," adds Okko CEO Ivan Grodetsky. In Tvzavr, the share of mobile device users remains at the level of 12% with simultaneous growth of the general audience, calculated at the online cinema.

According to the data of online advertising sellers, in 2017 the volume of video advertising amounted to 8.3 billion rubles, which is 26% more than a year ago. At the same time in September 2017 mobile video viewing for the first time equaled the audience of stationary computers and reached 26 million people, calculated earlier in Mediascope.