Mobile Video Viewing Growing Fast, with Apple Way Out in Front on iPad's Strength

Mobile video viewing experienced significant gains last year, growing from just 2% of online videos watched in 2011 to 12% in 2012 - and the majority of it is on iOS devices.

60% of all mobile video viewing is done on iOS devices, according to a study by video monetization company Freewheel (via TechCrunch). Android devices accounted for most of the rest, at 32%.

The iPhone alone accounted for 30% of all mobile video, the iPad for 24% and the iPod touch for 6%. Apple's lead over Android increased substantially in the final quarter of last year, perhaps suggesting that the increased screen size of the iPhone 5 made video viewing on the phone more appealing, with the iPad screen size and quality giving it obvious appeal.

Both platforms experienced considerable gains in terms of overall video viewing volume, with 30 percent growth in viewing of online videos on non-PC/Mac devices occurring between Q3 2012 and Q4 2012 alone. Apple’s strong lead is dues to its dominance in the tablet market, where FreeWheel says Android has yet to field a competitor that can truly make a dent in its overall share.

Apple's lead is perhaps unsurprising given the the company's early jump on the smartphone market and its more cohesive iOS platform, with many content providers launching iOS apps ahead of Android ones. TechCrunch suggests that there may be a virtuous circle effect, with content providers optimising for iOS devices while the Android experience gets less focus.

Mobile video is naturally expected to be increasingly important going forward, with more and more content providers embracing mobile platforms to encourage more flexible viewing. Just yesterday, HBO introduced increased functionality for its HBO Go app, allowing content to be pushed from Apple's mobile devices to a larger screen via AirPlay.