The Internet Becomes TV: The Rise Of Video Autoplay

Video autoplay is often one of the more annoying features of modern websites, but there are ways to use it to enhance content too.  

Is there anything more annoying on a website than videos that start playing on their own? The internet at large would say no. Pop-up boxes may be worse, but video autoplay is certainly up there among the more frustrating features of modern website design, especially if they blare out in a quiet office. So if people don’t like it, why is autoplay becoming such a widespread feature?
The answer is simple: it’s a really efficient way of grabbing people’s attention. Even advertising professionals are surprised at just how widespread video autoplay has become: “I honestly would’ve said a year ago autoplay video is the enemy that plagues premium video advertisers,” Jenny Schauer, associate media director at digital marketing agency Digitas, told ‘DigiDay’. “Today, however, I think there’s a different story, and Facebook is largely at the root of it.”.
Facebook rolled out their video autoplay feature in December 2013, on both desktop and mobile to the chagrin of those with low mobile data allowances. Even if people turn off the video as soon as it starts playing, it counts as a view, meaning Facebook gets to boast some pretty impressive viewing stats to advertisers: Over 3 billion videos are viewed daily on Facebook.
So Facebook get the bragging rights and we get a huge data bill, where’s the plus side?
There are in fact ways of using video autoplay in a manner that adds to the user experience. “While autoplay in general is still not the most premium or impactful video ad format, if done well it can amplify a video campaign at a scale that user-initiated video could never compete with,” said Schauer. With video seemingly taking over the world, it does make sense that marketers would find a way to further its reach: it could work for your business too.
Newspapers like The Guardian and the Financial Times have begun using video as a way to break down their articles, incorporating video into the text to provide more in-depth information. Bloomberg has invested heavily into video as part of its push into digital: “Users are increasingly accepting video as an integral part of their experience,” Paul Marcum, head of digital video, told ‘DigiDay’. The numbers back this up: Bloomberg.com saw 9.2 million unique video viewers in September, according to comScore – this was more than double the amount seen the year before. Concluded Marcum: “[Video] can be best used when it’s tied to an article that has more context. If you’re being very careful about what you’re matching, it adds a level of depth to an article that makes it feel complementary.”.
For businesses, video can be a great way of personalising the company. This is especially beneficial for an organisation that finds it hard to explain just what it is they do, as it can cut through a lot of confusion and provides an explanation of how it can meet people’s needs and requirements in an easy yet engaging format.
Another interesting online video trend is the emergence of sequential autoplay. YouTube introduced its ‘AutoPlay’ feature last year, where a selected video carries on playing after your chosen clip has finished. “With more videos coming to YouTube every minute we’re always experimenting with ways to help people more easily find, watch and share the videos that matter most to them,” a YouTube spokesperson told ‘TechCrunch’. It does look a lot like YouTube is competing with Facebook for the title of ‘Video Victor’ (note: we made that title up).
This trend of playing one video after another represents a change from the early internet, our ability to select the content we want to view with a mouse click seems to be in decline. The internet is becoming more like TV: turn it on, and the content is presented as one segment after another. This makes for a more passive viewing experience, but considering how well it’s playing with advertisers, chances are we’ll be seeing a lot more of it. It may simply mean we’ll discover more great things to watch. After all, it’s pretty useful when Netflix suggests similar shows once we’ve finished something and don’t know what to watch next.
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