Twitter has shared some new insights into the growing video consumption in the app, focusing specifically on the Southeast Asian market and the latest trends among Indonesian, Thai and Filipino users.
Which is interesting given how Twitter has been shrinking its global workforce of late, which appears to be impacting regions like this in terms of localized knowledge and subsequent growth. But even so, the Southeast Asian market represents a key growth opportunity for the company that clearly isn’t lost on Twitter based on these stats.
According to Twitter:
“Twitter is becoming a global video powerhouse1 with more than 3.5 billion video views on Twitter every day. And Southeast Asia (SEA) is seeing some of the fastest growth in video consumption in the world.”
In fact, Twitter says that while video watch time is increasing globally, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines are seeing much faster growth compared to the global rate.
Which, again, reinforces the point that Twitter must focus on developing markets to maintain this momentum. Perhaps this report reflects that widening shift in focus.
According to Twitter, 54% of users watch videos on Twitter at least once a day, with an even higher figure for 18-24 year old users.
Regarding discovery, Twitter says SEA users are most likely to find video content in their home feed, with the Explore tab being the second-biggest source.
News and current affairs remains the most watched video content category on the app, with prominent and trending content also attracting interest.
Also worth mentioning:
“When watching videos on Twitter, our Southeast Asian audience prefers the full-screen experience, with more than half consistently choosing this mode. Audio is also an integral part of the viewing experience, with a remarkable 64% always turning on the sound when watching videos on Twitter.”
This is a change in how users have viewed video content in the app in the past, which could be factored into your planning.
Additionally, Twitter reports that 87% of users in the region increase their Twitter usage while watching TV.
“People and fans of all kinds are turning to Twitter as a second screen to television and a first scroll for highlights of TV’s biggest moments or anything they missed on Linear.”
These are some interesting pointers, and while they’re region-specific, many of these trends would carry over to other markets as most Twitter users now regularly watch video content and use the app as a live event companion.
From a marketing perspective, these data points could help SEA marketers find a better approach to reach these users. While for others, the data highlights evolving in-app video consumption habits that could inform your planning.
You can check out Twitter’s full SEA video consumption overview here.
