We've had video online now for a number of years and the viewing experience has been improving throughout that time. However, we are all still faced with "click, wait, & stutter." If it's content we REALLY want to watch, we tolerate it. If it's content then preceded by a video advertisement, it becomes even more aversive. So, what's new for video this year?
The video preview.
Why? We don't want to wait. Our computers have gotten faster. Our software programs don't "chug" anymore and the Internet bandwidth is enormous allowing us to browse fast and receive or reject content at will...all except the video - where we are often sucked in, watch some, and then leave. This is exactly why the statistics on video viewing show that hardly anyone watches a full video - they watch more like 40-60% of it. When it comes to video advertisements (stand-a-lone) the viewing time drops significantly. And who knows what people do while a pre-roll video ad plays, right? Of course we are multi-viewing something else while waiting! So, previewing video informs a person and allows them to accept or reject it, saving time and increasing the value of "chosen" video content.
And we know it because Bing started it with their roll-over play-in-place previewing of videos on their video search page. No longer do you have to click away to find out if you will like the video from just the caption or the thumbnail representation. In fact, stats just released show that Bing has soared to #2 in video viewing on the Internet and the guess is it is because of the preview experience they offer! Google, in March, starting offering a preview of video with 4 previews of different parts of the video in organic video search results.
Why is it getting popular other than users getting more informed about what the video content is about before clicking? It's also needed by advertisers who only want users to click if they are going to engage, not bounce right back after the advertiser is charged for the click. With video preview, users can now navigate more easily to what they want to watch.
It's also popular because it is fast and supports how users like to browse the web - without waiting. Video is better with preview and the trend has started. New tools will be coming on the web soon to support the demand of this trend.
